Population of file-catalog table for file stage

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for population of a file-catalog table for a file stage in a user account on a data platform. In an embodiment, a data platform receives, from a client associated with a user account, a request to populate a file-catalog table of the user account based on a plurality of files stored in a file stage of the user account. The data platform responsively executes a list-files table function with respect to the file stage to generate a database-table object having a row for each file stored in the file stage. The data platform populates the file-catalog table of the user account based on the database-table object generated by the list-files table function.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/244,349, filed Apr. 29, 2021; which is a Continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/942,352 filed Jul. 29, 2020 and issued on May 4,2021 as U.S. Pat. No. 10,997,243; which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/046,229 filed Jun. 30, 2020,the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to data platforms and, more particularly,to systems and methods for supporting unstructured, semi-structured, andstructured files.

BACKGROUND

Data platforms are widely used for data storage and data access incomputing and communication contexts. With respect to architecture, adata platform could be an on-premises data platform, a network-baseddata platform (e.g., a cloud-based data platform), a combination of thetwo, and/or include another type of architecture. With respect to typeof data processing, a data platform could implement online transactionalprocessing (OLTP), online analytical processing (OLAP), a combination ofthe two, and/or another type of data processing. Moreover, a dataplatform could be or include a relational database management system(RDBMS) and/or one or more other types of database management systems.

In a typical implementation, a data platform includes one or moredatabases that are maintained on behalf of a customer account. Indeed, adata platform may include one or more databases that are respectivelymaintained in association with any number of customer accounts, as wellas one or more databases associated with one or more system (e.g.,administrative) accounts of the data platform, one or more otherdatabases used for administrative purposes, and/or one or more otherdatabases that are maintained in association with one or more otherorganizations and/or for any other purposes. A data platform may storemetadata in association with the data platform in general and inassociation with particular databases and/or particular customeraccounts as well. Metadata that is maintained by a data platform withrespect to stored data (e.g., stored customer data) may be referred toherein at times as “expression properties.”

Users and/or executing processes—that may be associated with, e.g., agiven customer account—may, via one or more types of clients, be able tocause data to be ingested into one or more databases in the dataplatform, and may also be able to manipulate the data, run queriesagainst the data, create customized views (which are also known assecure views) of the data, modify the data, insert additional data,remove data, and/or the like. Some example types of clients include webinterfaces, Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) drivers, Open DatabaseConnectivity (ODBC) drivers, one or more other types of drivers, desktopapplications, mobile apps, and the like.

In an example implementation of a data platform, a given database isrepresented as an account-level object within a customer account, andthe customer account may also include one or more other account-levelobjects such as users, roles, and/or the like. Furthermore, a givenaccount-level database object may itself contain one or more objectssuch as tables, schemas, views, streams, tasks, and/or the like. A giventable may be organized as records (e.g., rows) that each include one ormore attributes (e.g., columns). A data platform may physically storedatabase data in multiple storage units, which may be referred to asblocks, micro-partitions, and/or by one or more other names.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more detailed understanding may be had from the following description,which is presented by way of example in conjunction with the followingdrawings, in which like reference numerals are used across the drawingsin connection with like elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example data platform, in accordance with at leastone embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a first example file-catalog table, in accordancewith at least one embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a second example file-catalog table, in accordancewith at least one embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example message flow, in accordance with at leastone embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a third example file-catalog table, in accordancewith at least one embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example method, in accordance with at least oneembodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example computing device, in accordance with atleast one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Introduction

In the present disclosure, physical units of data that are stored in adata platform—and that make up the content of, e.g., database tables incustomer accounts—are referred to as micro-partitions. In variousdifferent implementations, a data platform may store metadata inmicro-partitions as well. The term “micro-partitions” is distinguishedin this disclosure from the term “files,” which, as used herein, refersto data units such as image files (e.g., Joint Photographic ExpertsGroup (JPEG) files, Portable Network Graphics (PNG) files, etc.), videofiles (e.g., Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) files, MPEG-4 (MP4)files, Advanced Video Coding High Definition (AVCHD) files, etc.),Portable Document Format (PDF) files, documents that are formatted to becompatible with one or more word-processing applications, documents thatare formatted to be compatible with one or more spreadsheetapplications, and/or the like. If stored internal to the data platform,a given file is referred to herein as an “internal file” and may bestored in (or at, or on, etc.) what is referred to herein as an“internal storage location.” If stored external to the data platform, agiven file is referred to herein as an “external file” and is referredto as being stored in (or at, or on, etc.) what is referred to herein asan “external storage location.” These terms are further discussed below.

Computer-readable files come in a number of varieties, includingunstructured files, semi-structured files, and structured files. Theseterms may mean different things to different people. As used herein,examples of unstructured files include image files, video files, PDFs,and the like; examples of semi-structured files include JavaScriptObject Notation (JSON) files, eXtensible Markup Language (XML) files,and the like; and examples of structured files include Variant CallFormat (VCF) files, Keithley Data File (KDF) files, Hierarchical DataFormat version 5 (HDF5) files, and the like. As known to those of skillin the relevant arts, VCF files are often used in the bioinformaticsfield for storing, e.g., gene-sequence variations, KDF files are oftenused in the semiconductor industry for storing, e.g.,semiconductor-testing data, and HDF5 files are often used in industriessuch as the aeronautics industry, in that case for storing data such asaircraft-emissions data. Numerous other example unstructured-file types,semi-structured-file types, and structured-file types, as well asexample uses thereof, could certainly be listed here as well and will befamiliar to those of skill in the relevant arts. Different people ofskill in the relevant arts may classify types of files differently amongthese categories, and may use one or more different categories insteadof or in addition to one or more of these.

As alluded to above, it is often the case that organizations that arecustomers of a given data platform also maintain data storage (e.g., adata lake) that is external to the data platform (i.e., one or moreexternal storage locations). For example, a company could be a customerof a particular data platform and also separately maintain storage ofany number of files—be they unstructured files, semi-structured files,structured files, and/or files of one or more other types—on, asexamples, one or more of their own servers and/or on one or morecloud-storage platforms such as AMAZON WEB SERVICES™ (AWS™), MICROSOFT®AZURE®, GOOGLE CLOUD PLATFORM™, and/or the like. The customer's ownservers and cloud-storage platforms are both examples of what a givencustomer could use as what is referred to herein as an external storagelocation. And as described below, a data platform could also use acloud-storage platform as what is referred to herein as an internalstorage location with respect to the data platform.

From the perspective of an example data platform, one or more files thatare stored at one or more storage locations are referred to herein asbeing organized into one or more of what are referred to herein aseither “internal stages” or “external stages,” where internal stages arestages that correspond to data storage at one or more internal storagelocations, and where external stages are stages that correspond to datastorage at one or more external storage locations. Thus, in the parlanceof this disclosure, external files can be stored in external stages atone or more external storage locations, and internal files can be storedin internal stages at one or more internal storage locations, which caninclude servers managed and controlled by the same organization (e.g.,company) that manages and controls the data platform, and which caninstead or in addition include data-storage resources operated by astorage provider (e.g., a cloud-storage platform) that is used by thedata platform for its “internal” storage. The internal storage of a dataplatform is also referred to herein as the “storage platform” of thedata platform. It is further noted that a given external file that agiven customer stores at a given external storage location may or maynot be stored in an external stage in the external storagelocation—i.e., in some data-platform implementations, it is a customer'schoice whether to create one or more external stages (e.g., one or moreexternal-stage objects) in the customer's data-platform account as anorganizational and functional construct for conveniently interacting viathe data platform with one or more external files.

Accordingly, a customer account on a data platform may include one ormore account-level objects that correspond respectively to one or morestages, one or more of which could be internal stages, and one or moreof which could be external stages. One or more other types of stagescould be implemented instead of and/or in addition to the internalstages and external stages that are described by way of example in thepresent disclosure.

In an example customer account that includes at least one internal stageand at least one external stage, each internal stage may have a stagename as a user-settable property of the internal stage, and the dataplatform may manage the actual storage location of that internal stage“behind the scenes,” such that the customer generally is not andgenerally need not be explicitly aware of the actual precise storagelocation (e.g., the Uniform Resource Locator (URL)) of that internalstage. Each external stage may have not only a stage name (for thecustomer's convenience and for other reference), but each external stagemay also have a user-settable property that explicitly points (in theform of, e.g., a URL) to the external storage location of thecorresponding external stage. The stage-location property of a givenstage is referred to herein at times as the “stage URL” of that stage;in the case of both internal and external stages, the stage-nameproperty of a given stage is referred to herein as the “stage name” ofthat stage; both of these stage-property labels are presented here asexamples and not by way of limitation.

In some current implementations of data platforms, a customer of a dataplatform may use an application (e.g., a custom application) to extractvarious metadata items from various external files that the customerkeeps at an external storage location. The customer may store thatextracted metadata in one or more tables in the customer's account onthe data platform. In one such example, the customer may create a tablein which each external file is represented by a row in the table andeach metadata item that is extracted and stored in the table occupies acolumn in the table. In many instances, a customer may also include, inthe table, a column in which the customer stores a URL corresponding tothe location of the external file in the external storage location, sothat the URL is associated in the table with the other metadata itemsthat also correspond to the respective external file. In such a table,the URL is typically stored as a string (e.g., as an instance of analphanumeric-character-string data type), and is generally not operativeto simply be clicked on for downloading or opening the external filefrom the corresponding external storage location, since securitycredentials are typically required for such access.

In some instances, instead of or in addition to metadata, customers mayuse an application (e.g., a custom application) to extract one or morepieces of content (e.g., one or more fields, one or more particularbytes, etc.) from an external file and then store the one or more piecesof extracted content in a given column of the same or another table intheir account on the data platform. In many instances, the data platformdoes not natively support the particular type of structured file that isused and externally stored by the customer. Among other consequences ofthat lack of native support, it is often the case that, using theirrespective data-platform clients (e.g., JDBC drivers), the associatedcustomer is only able to share and/or replicate the table—of metadataand/or extracted content—and is not able to use their respectivedata-platform clients to share or replicate the actual external filesthemselves.

To address these and other shortcomings of prior implementations,disclosed herein are various embodiments of systems and methods forsupporting unstructured files, semi-structured files, structured files,and any other types of files at a data platform. The various embodimentsthat are described herein are described with reference where appropriateto one or more of the various figures.

One embodiment takes the form of a method that includes receiving, at adata platform that includes at least one hardware processor, astage-creation instruction from a client, the stage-creation instructionrequesting creation by the data platform of creation of a file stage fora user account on the data platform, the user account being associatedwith the client. The method also includes receiving, at the dataplatform, a file-catalog-table-creation instruction from the client, thefile-catalog-table-creation instruction requesting creation by the dataplatform of a file-catalog table for the file stage. The method alsoincludes creating, by the data platform in response to receiving thefile-catalog-table-creation instruction, the file-catalog table for thefile stage, the file-catalog table containing one or more metadata itemscorresponding to one or more files in the file stage.

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure take the form ofmethods that include multiple operations. One or more other embodimentstake the form of systems (e.g., data platforms) that include at leastone hardware processor and that also include one or morecomputer-storage media containing instructions executable by the atleast one hardware processor for causing the at least one hardwareprocessor to perform multiple operations (that may or may not correspondto operations performed in a herein-disclosed method embodiment). Stillone or more other embodiments take the form of one or morecomputer-storage media containing instructions executable by at leastone hardware processor (of, e.g., a data platform) for causing the atleast one hardware processor to perform multiple operations (that,again, may or may not correspond to operations performed in aherein-disclosed method embodiment and/or operations performed by aherein-disclosed system embodiment).

Furthermore, a number of variations and permutations of embodiments aredescribed herein, and it is expressly noted that any variation orpermutation that is described in this disclosure can be implemented withrespect to any type of embodiment. For example, a variation orpermutation that is primarily described in this disclosure in connectionwith a method embodiment could just as well be implemented in connectionwith a system embodiment (e.g., a data-platform embodiment), acomputer-storage-medium (or computer-storage-media) embodiment, and/orone or more other types of embodiments. Furthermore, this flexibilityand cross-applicability of embodiments is present in spite of the useherein of any slightly different language (e.g., processes, methods,methodologies, steps, operations, functions, and/or the like) todescribe and/or characterize such embodiments and/or any element orelements thereof.

Data-Platform Architecture and Environment

FIG. 1 illustrates an example data platform 100, in accordance with atleast one embodiment. In various embodiments, the data platform 100 maybe used for performing one or more of the operations (e.g., one or moreof the methods) that are disclosed herein. As shown in FIG. 1, the dataplatform 100 includes a database manager 102, which includes a resourcemanager 104 and an execution platform 106. The database manager 102 neednot be a defined physical device, though it could be, but in general isused herein as shorthand to refer to the combination of the resourcemanager 104 and the execution platform 106. The execution platform 106may include one or more execution nodes (e.g., servers, workers,threads, and/or the like). A grouping of execution nodes in theexecution platform 106 may be referred to as a virtual warehouse, andsuch virtual warehouses are, in some embodiments, dynamically scalableto meet dynamically changing demands. Also depicted in FIG. 1 are ametadata storage 108, a storage platform 110 that includes one or moredata-storage devices 112—an example one of which includes an exampleinternal stage 114, one or more clients 116, and one or morecloud-storage platforms 118—an example one of which includes an exampleexternal stage 120. In various different implementations, there could beany number of any of the entities that are shown in FIG. 1, includingany number of internal stages 114 and any number of external stages 120.Moreover, different internal stages 114 could reside in differentdata-storage devices 112, and different external stages 120 could residein different cloud-storage platforms 118.

In some embodiments, all of the entities—other than the one or morecloud-storage platforms 118—that are depicted in FIG. 1 are part of whatis referred to herein as the data platform 100, though this is not thecase in other embodiments. For example, in at least one embodiment, thedata platform 100 does not include any of the one or more clients 116.As another example, in some embodiments, the data platform 100 does notinclude the storage platform 110. In the embodiments that are primarilydescribed herein to illustrate various examples, the data platform 100includes the database manager 102 (including the resource manager 104and the execution platform 106), the metadata storage 108, and thestorage platform 110, and does not include any of the one or moreclients 116 or any of the one or more cloud-storage platforms 118 (andtherefore does not (physically) include any external stages 120). Asdescribed below and as mentioned above, the storage platform 110 couldbe implemented in whole or in part on a cloud-storage platform and stillbe considered part of the data platform 100.

The resource manager 104 may be configured to manage a number ofdifferent types of tasks including external database tasks (e.g., queryrequests) that are received from, e.g., a client 116. The resourcemanager 104 may be coupled to any number of clients 116. A client 116may facilitate end users making data-storage and/or data-retrievalrequests, system administrators managing the data platform 100, and/orthe like. In various different embodiments, a client 116 could be a webinterface, a JDBC driver, an ODBC driver, a desktop application, amobile app, and/or another type of client. As shown in FIG. 1, a client116 may communicate with the data platform 100 (e.g., the resourcemanager 104 of the database manager 102) and one or more cloud-storageplatforms 118. A client 116 could reside on a client-side computingdevice on which the client 116 interacts with one or more client-sideapplications and on which the client 116 makes use of certainclient-side-system resources such as network interfaces, userinterfaces, memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), and/or the like.

As depicted in FIG. 1, the resource manager 104 is communicativelycoupled to the metadata storage 108, which in at least one embodiment isassociated with data stored throughout the data platform 100, and mayalso reflect data stored on one or more external stages 120. Indeed, insome embodiments, the metadata storage 108 includes one or moresummaries of data available in one or more local caches (of, e.g., theresource manager 104 and/or the execution platform 106), data stored inthe storage platform 110, and/or data stored in one or more externalstages 120. Additionally, the metadata storage 108 may includeinformation regarding how data is organized in one or more local caches,one or more storage platforms 110, one or more external stages 120,and/or the like.

Among other uses, the metadata storage 108 may allow systems andservices of the data platform 100 to determine whether a given quantumof data needs to be processed (in connection with, e.g., a given query)without loading or accessing the actual stored data. In variousembodiments, metadata may reflect the contents of one or more databases,one or more tables, one or more columns, one or more views, and/or oneor more other collections of records, parts of records, and/or otherdata quanta. With respect to where the metadata storage 108 is actuallystored, a separate (e.g., local) storage location (e.g., a key-valuestore) is used in some embodiments, while in other embodiments themetadata storage 108 is maintained by the data platform 100 as a subsetof the data stored in the storage platform 110. Other architectures arepossible as well.

The resource manager 104 is also communicatively coupled to theexecution platform 106, which may provide multiple computing resourcesthat execute various tasks involving data storage, data retrieval, dataanalysis (e.g., query processing), and/or the like. In at least oneembodiment, the resource manager 104 includes a layer of code (e.g.,Java code) that is global with respect to the data platform 100, wherethat code layer includes instructions for performing functions such ascompiling queries and brokering requests to one or more execution nodesin the execution platform 106. In some embodiments, there exists one ormore instances of the execution platform 106 used for executing (i)client tasks, such as database queries and/or (ii) internal databasetasks such as updating metadata, clustering tables, generating views,and/or the like. In some such embodiments, there also exists one or moreinstances of the execution platform 106 used for feature developmentand/or testing of the data platform 100, and each such instance of theexecution platform 106 may be separate from each client-task instance ofthe execution platform 106, such that, for example, client-taskprocessing is not impacted by feature-development tasks,data-platform-administration tasks, and/or the like. Other arrangementsare possible as well.

The execution platform 106 may be coupled to the one or moredata-storage devices 112 that are part of the storage platform 110,which may include (and an execution platform 106 may be capable ofcommunicating with) any number of data-storage devices 112. In someembodiments, one or more of the data-storage devices 112 are cloud-basedstorage devices located in one or more geographic locations. Forexample, one or more of the data-storage devices 112 may be part of apublic cloud infrastructure or a private cloud infrastructure. One ormore of the data-storage devices 112 may be or include hard disk drives(HDDs), solid state drives (SSDs), storage clusters, and/or any otherdata-storage technology. In some examples, the storage platform 110includes distributed file systems (such as Hadoop Distributed FileSystems (HDFSs)), object storage systems, and/or the like. As mentionedabove and as described more fully below, the one or more data-storagedevices 112 of the storage platform 110 may contain one or more internalstages 114.

As shown in FIG. 1, the storage platform 110, including the one or moredata-storage devices 112, is decoupled from the computing resourcesassociated with the execution platform 106, the resource manager 104,and the database manager 102 generally. In an embodiment, each of aplurality of data-platform deployments includes a respective storageplatform 110 having its own respective one or more data-storage devices.That type of architecture supports dynamic changes to the data platform100 based on changing data-storage and/or data-retrieval needs, as wellas changing needs of users and systems accessing the data platform 100.The support of dynamic changes allows the data platform 100 to scalequickly in response to changing demands on the systems and componentswithin the data platform 100. The decoupling of the computing resourcesfrom the data-storage devices supports the storage of large amounts ofdata without requiring a corresponding large amount of computingresources. Similarly, this decoupling supports a significant increase inthe computing resources utilized at a particular time without requiringa corresponding increase in data-storage resources.

As a general matter, in at least some embodiments, the data platform 100can be referred to using terms such as a cloud data platform, acloud-based data warehouse, a network-based data warehouse, or simply adata warehouse. A cloud data platform is one type of network-based datasystem that can be used for data analysis and reporting and thatincludes a central repository of integrated data from one or moredisparate sources. A cloud data platform is commonly an OLAP databasethat can store current and historical data that can be used for creatinganalytical reports for an enterprise based on data stored withindatabases maintained on behalf of the enterprise. To this end, clouddata platforms often provide business-intelligence tools, tools toperform extract-transform-load (ETL) tasks for ingesting data into therepository, tools to manage and retrieve metadata, and/or the like.There are other types of cloud data platforms, such as OLTP databases,as well as data platforms, data warehouses, and other data systems thatoperate with characteristics of multiple types of database systems. Asused herein, “data platform” refers to any one or any combination of anyof the terms used in this paragraph, in this disclosure generally, andsimilar terms used in the art.

Moreover, any one or more of the components, devices, systems, and/orthe like that are depicted in FIG. 1 and in any of the other figurescould be implemented as one or more computing devices having anarchitecture that is similar to the example computing device 700 that isdescribed below in connection with FIG. 7. Moreover, two or more of theentities that are depicted in any of the figures could be combined intoa single component, and any entity that is depicted as a singlecomponent in any of the figures could instead be distributed acrossmultiple components (e.g., distributed across multiple systems,platforms, and/or the like at multiple geographic and/ornetwork-topology locations). Moreover, in particular embodiments, anyone or more of the communication links that are depicted in FIG. 1 andin any of the other figures could be implemented via one or moredata-communication networks, which may utilize any communicationprotocol and any type of communication medium. In some embodiments, thedata-communication networks are a combination of two or moredata-communication networks (or sub-networks) coupled to one another. Invarious different embodiments, these communication links are implementedusing one or more of any types of communication medium and one or moreof any types of communication protocol.

Stage Creation and Encryption

In some embodiments, a given data-platform customer is, as describedabove, able to use a client 116 to create one or more internal stages114 and/or one or more external stages 120. The customer may provide thedata platform 100 with login credentials (e.g., username and password)for each external stage 120 that is represented by a correspondingexternal-stage object in the customer's account on the data platform100, so that the data platform 100 can conveniently interact with thecorresponding external stage 120 and/or the one or more external filesstored therein.

With respect to internal stages 114, in at least one embodiment, thedata platform 100 provides an option to a user that is creating aninternal stage 114 to set an encryption property of the internal stage114 to be either what is referred to herein as “full encryption” or whatis referred to herein as “server-side-only encryption.” In at least oneembodiment, internal stages 114 that have their encryption property setto full encryption are both server-side-encrypted andclient-side-encrypted, whereas internal stages 114 that have theirencryption property set to server-side-only encryption areserver-side-encrypted but are not client-side-encrypted. Furthermore, inat least one embodiment, external stages 120 that are created withouteither full encryption or server-side-only encryption being specifiedare by default set to use full encryption. And though the option is notdiscussed at length herein, an implementation using client-side-onlyencryption could be used as well.

As used herein, in at least one embodiment, an internal stage 114 being“server-side-encrypted” means that the data (including, e.g., one ormore internal files) in the internal stage 114 is encrypted “at rest” inthe storage platform 110 by the data platform 100 or by a storageprovider (e.g., a cloud-storage platform) that is used by the dataplatform 100 for implementing its storage platform 110. In a typicalimplementation in which the data platform 100 uses a storage providerfor the storage platform 110, the storage provider may use their ownencryption/decryption keys to decrypt internal files prior totransmitting the internal files to the data platform 100 (in the caseof, e.g., a customer requesting a download of one or more of theirinternal files from the data platform 100 to, e.g., the customer's ownserver or other computer), where such transmission from the storageprovider to the data platform 100 could be safeguarded through the useof HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) communication that itselfmakes use of the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol, which is anupdated version of the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol.

Furthermore, as used herein, in at least one embodiment, an internalstage 114 being “client-side-encrypted” means that, when a customerrequests a download of one or more of their internal files from theinternal stage 114, and after the data platform 100 requests andreceives copies of the one or more internal files from the storageprovider, the data platform 100 encrypts the one or more internal fileswith one or more encryption/decryption keys that are managed by the dataplatform 100, and then transmits the client-side-encrypted internalfiles to the customer (e.g., to the particular client 116 used by thecustomer to request the download). That transmission could also be anHTTPS/TLS transmission. In at least one other embodiment, the one ormore internal files are transmitted (using, e.g., HTTPS/TLStransmission) from the data platform 100 to the client 116 without theone or more internal files being first encrypted by the data platform100 using one or more encryption/decryption keys that are managed by thedata platform 100, and then the one or more internal files are encryptedby the client 116 on the client side using one or moreencryption/decryption keys that are managed by the data platform 100.Either way, the one or more encryption/decryption keys that are managedby the data platform 100 are needed beyond the client 116 on the clientside to access the content of the one or more internal files. Otherimplementations are possible as well.

Thus, in the case of an internal stage 114 being client-side-encrypted,after receiving their one or more downloaded files from their internalstage 114, the associated customer needs a copy of the one or moreencryption/decryption keys that are managed by the data platform 100 tobe able to successfully open and substantively use the one or moredownloaded internal files. If, however, an internal stage 114 is notclient-side-encrypted, the data platform 100 may provide for thedownload (via, e.g., an HTTPS/TLS transmission) by the customer's client116 of (otherwise) unencrypted internal files—i.e., the data platform100 would not explicitly use any encryption/decryption keys to encryptthe one or more internal files prior to transmitting them to thecustomer's client 116, nor would the client 116 use any suchencryption/decryption keys to encrypt the one or more internal filesafter receipt of the one or more internal files from the data platform100, and the customer would not need any encryption/decryption keys thatare managed by the data platform 100 in order to successfully open andsubstantively use the one or more internal files.

Defined Functions

In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the data platform100 provides one or more functions for use by, e.g., customers, internaldevelopers, external developers, and/or the like of the data platform100. Some such functions are described by way of example below. In thisdisclosure, functions are referenced using a “function_name( )”notation, where “function_name” is the name of a given function, andwhere the empty parentheses (i.e., the “( )”) at the end of the functionname identify it as being a function (as opposed to, e.g., a stage, astage-property name, a data value, etc.). It is further noted that the“( )” at the end of a given function name in no way implies that thefunction takes zero arguments: it could, but it could just as well takeone or more arguments as described by way of example herein. As someoptions, in at least one embodiment, any one or more of these functionscan be called within Java functions, within JavaScript storedprocedures, as predicates within Structured Query Language (SQL)statements, and/or the like.

-   Function: get_relative_path( )

One function that is provided by the data platform 100 in at least oneembodiment is referred to herein as get_relative_path( ). In at leastone embodiment, the function get_relative_path( ) enables users (e.g.,customers, internal developers, external developers, other coders,and/or the like) to obtain what is referred to herein as the “relativepath” of a given file that is stored on a given internal stage 114 orexternal stage 120. As used herein, the relative path of a file that isstored on a stage is a terminal portion of the network location (i.e.,the “absolute path,” e.g., the URL) of the file on the stage. Theabsolute path of a given file, the stage URL of the stage on which thefile resides, and the relative path of the given file in that stage fittogether in at least one embodiment as follows:

-   absolute_path=[stage_URL][relative_path]

(where the square brackets are shown to illustratively delineate thestage URL from the relative path and are not shown to indicate that theyare actually textually present). Thus, in at least one embodiment, theabsolute path (represented at times herein as “absolute_path”) of agiven file is a concatenation of the stage URL for that file and therelative path for that file, in that order from left to right.Furthermore, by convention, in this disclosure, each stage URL(represented at times herein as “stage_URL”) does not end in a forwardslash (“/”), and each relative path (represented at times herein as“relative_path”) starts with one. The opposite convention would workjust as well.

In at least one embodiment, the function get_relative_path( ) takes twoarguments: (1) the name of an internal stage 114 or an external stage120 (the stage name being represented at times herein as “stage_name”)and (2) the absolute path of a file that is stored on that internalstage 114 or external stage 120. A call of the functionget_relative_path( ) may take the form of:

select get_relative_path (  stage_name,  ‘absolute_path’ );In at least one embodiment, the function get_relative_path( ) returnsthe relative path of the file on the stage as a string.

In an example scenario, a customer may create an internal stage 114using the following example commands:

-   create stage<my_images_stage>-   encryption=(type=SSE)    where “SSE” stands for server-side-encrypted, which is a term that    is discussed above. Or the customer may create an external stage 120    using the following example commands:

create stage <my_images_stage> stage_URL =‘s3://example_bucket/my_images_stage’where the form of the stage_URL that is depicted uses AWS™ as an examplecloud-storage platform 118, and where “s3: //example_bucket” is aplaceholder for text such as:

-   https://example_bucket.s3.amazonaws.com

Those of skill in the art will appreciate that different cloud-storageplatforms have different syntaxes. Whether an internal stage 114 or anexternal stage 120, the customer now has created a stage that is called“my_images_stage.” It is noted that, if my_images_stage is an internalstage 114, it still has a stage URL, but one that may be determined bythe data platform 100 and not explicitly set or provided by the userthat creates the internal stage 114.

Returning to the function get_relative_path( ), in an example scenario,a customer may create two top-level (i.e., top level with respect to thestage) folders in my_images_stage called “landscapes” and “skylines,”and the customer may store, as an example, fifty image filesrespectively named “image01.jpg” through “image50.jpg” in the“landscapes” folder and thirty images files respectively named“image51.jpg” through “image80.jpg” in the “skylines” folder. Thus,assuming for this example scenario that my_images_stage is an externalstage 120 created with the example commands that are shown above, anexample absolute path of an example file “image27.jpg” on that externalstage 120 is:

-   s3: //example_bucket/my_images_stage/landscapes/image27.jpg

As the term is used in the present disclosure, the relative path forthat external file is:

-   /landscapes/image27.jpg    Moreover, the stage name is my_images_stage, and the stage URL is:-   s3: //example_bucket/my_images_stage

Thus, a function call such as:

select get_relative_path (  my_images_stage, ‘s3://example_bucket/my_images_stage/landscapes/image27.jpg’ );would, in this example scenario, return the string

-   /landscapes/image27.jpg    as the relative path of that file with respect to that stage.

The function get_relative_path( ) may operate at least in part byreferencing the my_images_stage object, identifying

-   s3: //example_bucket/my_images_stage    as the stage URL of that stage, and returning the terminal portion    (i.e., the substring) of the provided absolute path that comes after    the identified stage URL of the external stage 120. In at least one    embodiment, the data platform 100 imposes a restriction on the    function get_relative_path( ), which is that the provided absolute    path be a subpath of the stage URL of the stage that has the    provided stage name. As an example, the absolute path-   s3: //example_bucket/my_images_stage/landscapes/image27.jpg    is a subpath of the stage URL-   s3: //example_bucket/my_images_stage    Furthermore, in at least one embodiment, any user that has usage    privileges on the relevant stage is permitted by the data platform    100 to call the function get_relative_path( ).    Function: get_absolute_path( )

Another function that may be provided by the data platform 100 in atleast one embodiment is a function that is referred to herein asget_absolute_path( ), which enables users to obtain the absolute path ofa given (internal or external) file that is stored on a given internalstage 114 or external stage 120. In at least one embodiment, thefunction get_absolute_path( ) takes two arguments: (1) the name of aninternal stage 114 or an external stage 120 and (2) the relative path ofa file that is stored on that internal stage 114 or external stage 120.A call of the function get_absolute_path( ) may take the form of:

select get_absolute_path (  stage_name,  ‘relative_path’ );

In at least one embodiment, the function get_absolute_path( ) returnsthe absolute path of the file on the stage as a string. Continuing theabove example scenario in which my_images_stage is an external stage120, a user may make the following example function call:

select get_absolute_path (  my_images_stage,  ‘/landscapes/image27.jpg’);In this example scenario, this function call would return the string

-   s3: //example_bucket/my_images_stage/landscapes/image27.jpg    as the absolute path of that file. The function get_absolute_path( )    may operate at least in part by referencing the my_images_stage    object, identifying-   s3: //example_bucket/my_images_stage    as the stage URL of that stage, concatenating that stage URL and the    provided relative path in that order, and returning the result of    that concatenation operation as a string. In at least one    embodiment, any user that has usage privileges on the relevant stage    is permitted by the data platform 100 to call the function    get_absolute_path( ).    Function: get_presigned_URL( )

Another function that may be provided by the data platform 100 in atleast one embodiment is a function that is referred to herein asget_presigned_URL( ), which enables users to obtain what is known as apresigned URL for a given file that is stored on a given internal stage114 or external stage 120. As is known to those of skill in the relevantarts, a presigned URL, which is also known as a “signed URL” and byother names, is a type of URL that is used to grant (typicallytemporary) access to an object (e.g., a file) that resides at a specificnetwork location. The application, function, driver, and/or the likethat creates a presigned URL for a given file typically includes, inthat presigned URL, one or more specific parameters that facilitate thedesired limited access to the file.

Building on the above examples in which my_images_stage is an externalstage 120, and again using AWS™ syntax by way of example, a presignedURL for the example file ‘image27.jpg’ might take a form similar to thefollowing:

https://example_bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/my_images_stage/landscapes/image27.jpg?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=E98AWK%2F20200626%2Fus-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20200626T232419Z&X-Amz-Expires=7200&X-Amz-Signature=67e0c9ef01807d04p76w0460f

Other parameters could be included instead of or in addition to one ormore of those shown above and described below. For clarity ofpresentation, the above example presigned URL is shown below with eachparameter starting on its own line, whereas an operative version of apresigned URL such as this would be one contiguous string of characterssuch as is shown above.

https://example_buckets3.amazonaws.com/my_images_stage/landscapes/image27.jpg? X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256 & X-Amz-Credential=E98AWK [%2F]20200626 [%2F] us-west-2 [%2F] s3 [%2F] aws4_request &X-Amz-Date=20200626T232419Z & X-Amz-Expires=7200 &X-Amz-Signature=67e0c9ef01807d04p7 6w0460f

The first line (containing the absolute path) ends with the “?”character that conventionally separates the absolute path from one ormore parameters in URLs. Also, each parameter line ends with the “&”character that conventionally separates URL parameters from one another.The “?” and each “&” are preceded by a space for visual clarity, thoughthat space would not be there in an operative presigned URL.Additionally, the multiple values in the “X-Amz-Credential” parameterare separated by the 3-character string “%2F,” which is the URL-encodedversion of the forward slash (/) character. And even though there wouldbe no spaces in an operative presigned URL, each “%2F” is enclosed insquare brackets that are each preceded and succeeded by a space in theabove example simply for a clearer visual presentation. Neither thosespaces nor those square brackets would appear in an operative version ofthis example presigned URL. Moreover, it is noted that the pseudorandomcharacter strings in the “X-Amz-Credential” parameter and the“X-Amz-Signature” parameter could and likely would be longer in a real,fully operative presigned URL: those parameters were shortened tofacilitate presentation of this example.

The “X-Amz-Algorithm” parameter being set to “AWS4-HMAC-SHA256”indicates that a Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) known as “SHA-256” was thehash algorithm that was used to generate the below-described digitalsignature of this example presigned URL. As known to those of skill inthe art, AWS4-HMAC-SHA256, which is also known as “Signature Version 4”“sigv4,” “V4,” and the like is an authentication scheme that issupported by AWS S3™.

The “X-Amz-Credential” parameter starts with the string “E98AWK,” whichrepresents the security credentials (a.k.a. access key, access token,and/or the like) that is embedded in this example presigned URL foraccessing the file “image27.jpg.” The credential parameter next includes(i) “20200626,” which indicates Jun. 26, 2020 as the date on which thisexample presigned URL was generated; (ii) “us-west-2,” which is what isknown as the “aws-region string” of the example presigned URL; (iii)“s3,” which is what is known as the “aws-service string” of the examplepresigned URL; and (iv) “aws4_request,” which is what is known as the“termination string” of the example presigned URL.

The “X-Amz-Date” parameter is set to “20200626T232419Z,” which indicatesthat the example date and time (i.e., the timestamp) at which thisexample presigned URL was created is Jun. 26, 2020 at 23:24:19 (i.e.,11:23 p.m. (and 19 hundredths of a second)). This timestamp is expressedin what is known as the International Organization for Standardization(ISO) 8601 format, where the “T” is a delimiter between the date and thetime, and where the “Z” represents what is known as the “Zero time zone”in that it is not offset (i.e., it is offset by zero hours) from what isknown as the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) (a.k.a. “Zulu time”). Inat least one embodiment, the “X-Amz-Date” parameter is an input into theabove-described hash algorithm.

The “X-Amz-Expires” being set to “7200” indicates that this examplepresigned URL was set to expire 7200 seconds (i.e., 2 hours) after thetimestamp described above. In many implementations, an expiration-timefield can be omitted from a presigned URL, in which case a default value(e.g., 3600 seconds (i.e., 1 hour)) is imposed. Other default valuescould certainly be set. Moreover, it would also be possible to implementnon-expiring presigned URLs, though this may be less desirable from asecurity perspective.

Finally, the “X-Amz-Signature” parameter being set to“67e0c9ef01807d04c76a0460f” indicates that that pseudorandom string ofalphanumeric characters is the (e.g., hexadecimal-encoded) digitalsignature, which is a security parameter, of this example presigned URL.This value is typically computed by the hash algorithm that is specifiedin the above-described “X-Amz-Algorithm” parameter. In some cases, adata item known as a “security policy” is the input to that hashalgorithm, along with the above-described timestamp. Other hashalgorithms (or another type of algorithm) and/or other inputs could beused to generate digital signatures in various different embodiments.

Returning to the definition of the function get_presigned_URL( ), in atleast one embodiment, the function takes either two or three arguments,depending on whether the optional expiration-time parameter isspecified. If it is, the function takes three arguments. If it is not,the function takes two arguments. Thus, in at least one embodiment, thearguments of the function get_presigned_URL( ) are (1) the name of aninternal stage 114 or an external stage 120, (2) the relative path of afile that is stored on that internal stage 114 or external stage 120,and, optionally, (3) an expiration time (expressed in at least oneembodiment as an integer number of seconds). A call of the functionget_presigned_URL( ) may take the form of:

select get_presigned_URL (  stage_name,  ‘relative_path’[, expiration_time] );where the “expiration_time” parameter and its preceding comma are shownin single square brackets to indicate that that parameter is optional.In at least one embodiment, get_presigned_URL( ) returns, as a string, apresigned URL for the file that is located in the specified stage at thespecified relative path. In some implementations, a specific data typemay be defined to contain presigned URLs. Continuing with theabove-described example scenario in which my_images_stage is an externalstage 120, a user may make the following example function call:

select get_presigned_URL (  ‘my_images_stage’, ‘/landscapes/image27.jpg’,  7200 );

This example function call may result in the function get_presigned_URL() returning the above-described example presigned URL for this file. Thefunction get_presigned_URL( ) may operate at least in part by carryingout the functionality of—or simply calling—the functionget_absolute_path( ) with the first two parameters that are passed intothe function get_presigned_URL( ), and then assembling the presigned URLto have parameters similar to those described above. For example, aspart of performing its operations, the function get_presigned_URL( ) mayhash a security policy or other value together with a current or futuretimestamp to derive the digital signature to include in the presignedURL. It is further noted that presigned URLs can be HTTP or HTTPS URLs,and a function such as get_presigned_URL( ) can be implemented eitherway. In some embodiments, the function get_presigned_URL( ) could beimplemented such that the absolute path of a given file is passed intothe function instead of both the stage name and the relative path. Otherpermutations are possible as well. In at least one embodiment, any userthat has usage privileges on the relevant stage is permitted by the dataplatform 100 to call the function get_presigned_URL( ).

Moreover, the function get_presigned_URL( ) can be used in a view. In atleast one embodiment, in such a case, the data platform 100 imposes arestriction that the owner role of the view have usage privileges on theassociated stage in order for other roles to be able to query the viewand get the presigned URL of one or more files. As an example, thefollowing two roles may exist in a given implementation:

-   -   a data_engineer role that created a given view, therefore owns        it, and has usage privileges on the associated stage; and    -   a data_analyst role that has select privileges on the view, but        does not have usage privileges on the stage.        In at least one embodiment, in this scenario, users having the        data_analyst role are permitted by the data platform 100 to        query the view and get the presigned URL of an associated file.        When using internal stages 114 that are server-side-encrypted        but not client-side-encrypted, users are able in at least one        embodiment to use the function get_presigned_URL( ) to obtain        presigned URLs for files for use by human users, and also for        use in drivers, applications, services, and/or any other        suitable data-handling code.        Table Function: list_files( )

Another function that may be provided by the data platform 100 in atleast one embodiment is a function that is referred to herein aslist_files( ), which enables a user (e.g., a customer) of the dataplatform 100 to obtain a list of all of the files in a given internalstage 114 or external stage 120 in the form of a database table. In atleast one embodiment, the list_files( ) function is what is known as a“table function,” in that it is a function that returns a table object.

The list_files( ) function in this example description takes a singleargument: a stage object, which could correspond to either an internalstage 114 or an external stage 120. Other implementations could be usedas well, such as implementations in which the function list_files( )takes a stage name, a stage URL, or another stage identifier. In theexample syntax that is used in this disclosure, a stage object isrepresented by the stage name prepended with the “@” symbol—e.g.,@my_images_stage. As stated, in at least one embodiment, the tablefunction list_files( ) returns a table that lists all of the files inthe relevant stage. In at least one embodiment, any user that has usageprivileges on the relevant stage is permitted by the data platform 100to call the function list_files( ).

Being a table function in at least one embodiment, the functionlist_files( ) enables users to take advantage of the table-relatedfeatures provided by the data platform 100. Thus, as examples, once thefile-catalog information is funneled into a table by the list_files( )function, users can select over that table, filter over that table,create customized views on that table, apply predicates to that table,and/or the like. A call of the function list_files( ) may take the formof:

select * from table (  list_files  (   @stage_name  ) );where the “table( )” syntax is used by way of example to indicate to thedata platform 100 that a table object is what is inside the parenthesesin “table( ).” Continuing the above example scenario, a user may makethe following example function call:

select * from table (  list_files  (   @my_images_stage  ) );Example results of that function call are described below.

File-Catalog Table: First Example—Outward-Facing Properties

The above function call of list_files( ) may return a table such as theexample file-catalog table 200 of FIG. 2. In this example scenario, asdescribed above, the external stage 120 named “my_images_stage” on acloud-storage platform 118 contains two folders: a folder called“landscapes” that contains fifty files that are respectively named“image01.jpg” through “image50.jpg,” and a folder called “skylines” thatcontains thirty files that are respectively named “image51.jpg” through“image80.jpg.”

The operator of the cloud-storage platform 118 that includes thisexample external stage 120 may make certain metadata properties aboutvarious files stored on that cloud-storage platform 118 available tousers (and data platforms) having access to its storage locations.File-metadata properties of this nature are referred to in thisdisclosure as “outward-facing properties” of the files, in that they aremostly independent of the content of the files. The file size is ofcourse dependent on (but fairly unindicative of) the content of a givenfile, especially an unstructured file such as an image file. Thefunction list_files( ) may retrieve these properties and organize theminto a table for use by the associated customer of the data platform100. Some such outward-facing metadata properties are described below inconnection with the example file-catalog table 200 of FIG. 2. Thefile-catalog table 200 is an example, then, of what is referred toherein as an outward-facing-properties file-catalog table.

The file-catalog table 200 could be a table that a customer designs andpopulates using the list_files( ) function, or, as described more fullybelow, it could be a table that—e.g., upon the setting of a certainstage property during stage creation—is automatically created,populated, and kept up-to-date by the data platform 100. In the lattercase, a table such as the file-catalog table 200 is referred to at timesin this disclosure as being “built in” to the data platform 100, being a“built-in table” with respect to the data platform 100, and the like.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, the file-catalog table 200 includes a titlebar 202, a row 204, a row 206, a row 208, a row 210, a row 212, afile-path column 214, a relative_path column 216, a last-modified column218, an MD5 column 220, a file-size column 222, a file-owner column 224,and an other-properties column 226. In this example scenario, each rowin the file-catalog table 200 corresponds to a file in the externalstage 120 that is named my_images_stage. In the embodiments that areprimarily described herein, the file-path column 214 contains (as astring) the absolute path of the associated file on the stage; in otherembodiments, the file-path column 214 contains (as a string) the stageURL of the stage. In at least one embodiment, the relative_path column216 contains (as a string) the relative file path on the stage of thefile corresponding to that row.

The last-modified column 218 may contain a timestamp that reflects thedate and time at which the file corresponding to that row was mostrecently modified. The MD5 column 220 may contain (as a string) a, e.g.,128-bit hash value associated with the file corresponding to that row,where that hash value is the output of the MD5 message-digest algorithm.The file-size column 222 may contain (as a number) a file size (in,e.g., megabytes (MB) (as shown), kilobytes (kb), and/or the like) of thefile corresponding to that row. The file-owner column 224 may contain(as a string) an identifier of the user that is the owner of the filecorresponding to that row. Finally, the other-properties column 226 maycontain a variant (e.g., complex) data type that reflects one or moreother properties of the file corresponding to that row. Certainly one ormore different metadata properties (e.g., a file-creation timestamp)could be included in a table such as the file-catalog table 200 insteadof or in addition to one or more of the metadata properties that areshown by way of example in FIG. 2.

With two sets of vertically oriented ellipses used to representrespective sets of non-depicted rows, it can be seen that thefile-catalog table 200 includes a row for each of the eighty examplefiles that are collectively stored in the example my_images_stage. Inrow 204, row 206, row 208, row 210, and row 212, it can be seen thatactual example values are shown in the file-size column 222 (e.g., 1.3MB, 1.7 MB, etc.) and file-owner column 224 (in which “USER_32” is shownas the example owner of each of the explicitly listed files), whereasthe values in the other columns are depicted as placeholders that arenamed after their associated column and that are numbered according tothe file that corresponds to their row. For example, row 204 is meant tocorrespond to the file named “image01.jpg,” and it can be seen that row204 includes values such as “RELATIVE_PATH_01” in the relative_pathcolumn 216, “TIMESTAMP_01” in the last-modified column 218, and soforth. These placeholders are there for example presentation and wouldbe replaced by actual metadata-parameter values in an actualimplementation.

Row 210 is meant to correspond to the file “image27.jpg” that is used inthe above descriptions of the functions get_relative_path( ),get_absolute_path( ), and get_presigned_URL( ). Thus, keeping consistentwith the above-described example scenario, the cell in row 210 andfile-path column 214 would contain the string:

-   S3: //example_bucket/my_images_stage/landscapes/image27.jpg    and the cell in row 210 and relative_path column 216 would contain    the string:-   /landscapes/image27.jpg

Finally, row 212 is meant to correspond to the example file“image80.jpg” and represents the last row of the file-catalog table 200.When sorted in the manner depicted in FIG. 2, the absolute paths andrelative paths in the first fifty rows of the file-catalog table 200would include reference to the “landscape” folder and the absolute pathsand relative paths in the final thirty rows of the file-catalog table200 would include reference to the “skylines” folder.

In an example, a user could create the file-catalog table 200 (and nameit ‘file_catalog_table’) using syntax such as:

create table file_catalog_table (  file_path string,  relative_pathstring,  last_modified datetime,  md5 string,  file_size number,  ownerstring,  other_properties variant )

The user could create the file-catalog table 200 in a database in theassociated customer account on the data platform 100. In particular, theuser could create the file-catalog table 200 as an object inside thesame database in which the associated stage is also an object, or inanother database. Furthermore, a user could then populate thefile-catalog table 200 to substantially the state that is shown in FIG.2 by using syntax such as:

insert into file_catalog_table from (  select * from table  (  list_files   (    @my_images_stage   )  ) );Other syntaxes are of course possible as well, as those provided hereinare by way of example and not limitation.

File-Catalog Table: Second Example—Content-Dependent Properties

Continuing the example scenario, a user may wish to create a tablehaving columns (e.g., file-metadata properties) that differ from thecolumns of the outward-facing-properties file-catalog table 200. In anexample, a user may wish for these columns to reflect properties relatedto the content of the various files. In the parlance of this disclosure,file-metadata properties of this type are referred to as“content-dependent properties” of the associated files. For example, auser may be interested in the following list of properties of imagefiles (some of which (e.g., file name and relative path) are actuallyoutward-facing properties):

-   -   file name;    -   image format (e.g., JPG, PNG, etc.);    -   image width (i.e., x dimension);    -   image height (i.e., y dimension);    -   whether or not the image is a drawing (as opposed to, e.g., a        photograph);    -   whether or not the image is a black-and-white image (as opposed        to, e.g., a color image);    -   whether (and which) one or more image tags apply to the image;    -   the dominant color of the image; and    -   the relative path of the file on the stage.

To create a content-dependent file-catalog table containing theseproperties (and named ‘image_file_catalog_table’), a user may employsyntax such as:

create table image_file_catalog_table (  file_name string,  image_formatstring,  x_dimension number,  y_dimension number,  is_drawing Boolean, is_black_and_white Boolean,  tags array,  dominant_color string, file_URL string )

It is noted that, not only does this table include a column for each ofthe image properties listed above, it also includes a column(“file_URL”) in which the relative path of the associated file is storedas a string. In this example, the name “file_URL” is used in the schemaof the table called image_file_catalog_table even though that column inthe table will be populated, as shown below, with relative paths (asopposed to absolute paths) of files. This naming choice is made becausethe example image-processing function—that is explained below as beingused in preparing JSON files for use in populating the table—storesabsolute paths under the same label, i.e., “file_URL.”

To populate the table image_file_catalog_table, the user could firstemploy an image-processing function (e.g., an AWS™ LAMBDA™ function, anAZURE® AUTOMATION™ function, and/or the like) on the files onmy_images_stage to create a list of JSON documents stored inmy_images_stage, for example one JSON document for each image file (orone JSON document containing multiple respective records, one for eachimage file, among other possible implementations), in which metadataproperties of the image files are recorded in a semi-structured format.For the file “image27.jpg,” the corresponding JSON document may includethe following text:

{  “file_name” : “image27.jpg”,  “image_format” : “JPG”,  “x_dimension”: 1024,  “y_dimension” : 768,  “is_drawing” : true, “is_black_and_white” : true,  “tags” :   {    “trees”,    “clouds”,   “farmhouse”,    “horses”   },  “dominant_color” : “gray”,  “file_URL”: “s3://example_bucket/my_images_stage/landscapes/image27.jpg” }

The user may then populate the image_file_catalog_table by employing acommand such as:

copy into image_file_catalog_table from (  select   $1:file_name,  $1:image_format,   $1:x_dimension,   $1:y_dimension,   $1:is_drawing,  $1:is_black_and_white,   $1:tags,   $1:dominant_color,  get_relative_path(‘@my_images_stage’, $1:file_URL)  from  @my_images_stage ) file_format = (type = JSON)where the “$1” is an example of syntax that could be used to representthe first column (e.g., data set) in each file in a given stage. Thiscommand will be applied to all JSON documents on my_images_stage.

In at least one embodiment, the result of the above “copy into” commandis the table named image_file_catalog_table being populated as shown inthe example file-catalog table 300 that is depicted in FIG. 3. It isnoted that FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 depict parallel rows—i.e., each of thosetwo figures depicts rows corresponding to the sample files“image01.jpg,” “image02.jpg,” “image03.jpg,” “image27.jpg,” and“image80.jpg.” Furthermore, rows in FIG. 3 that are numbered in the 300series correspond to the same example image files as similarly numberedrows in the 200 series in FIG. 2. For example, row 210 in FIG. 2 and row310 in FIG. 3 both correspond to the example file “image27.jpg.” Andsimilar to the file-catalog table 200, in the file-catalog table 300,some cells contain actual example values (e.g., 1024, green, etc.) whilesome cells contain placeholders (e.g., “array03,” “URL02,” etc.).

The file-catalog table 300 includes a title bar 302, a row 304, a row306, a row 308, a row 310, a row 312, a file-name column 314, afile-format column 316, an x-dimension column 318, a y-dimension column320, an is-drawing column 322, an is-black-and-white column 324, afile-tags column 326, a dominant-color column 328, and a file-URL column330. In at least one embodiment, in a given row, the file-name column314 contains the name of the corresponding file (as a string, shown inFIG. 3 without the “.jpg” extension), the file-format column 316contains the image format of the corresponding file (as a string), thex-dimension column 318 contains the x dimension of the correspondingfile (as an integer number of pixels), the y-dimension column 320contains the y dimension of the corresponding file (as an integer numberof pixels), the is-drawing column 322 contains a Boolean valueindicative of whether the corresponding file is a drawing, theis-black-and-white column 324 contains a Boolean value indicative ofwhether the corresponding file is a black-and-white image, the file-tagscolumn 326 contains an array of one or more tags indicative of content(e.g., depicted objects) in the corresponding file, the dominant-colorcolumn 328 contains the dominant color in the corresponding file (as astring), and the file-URL column 330 contains the relative path of thecorresponding file (as a string). The file-URL column 330 containsrelative paths due to the inclusion of the function get_relative_path( )in the above “copy into” statement.

If, for example, a user then wanted to obtain a presigned URL for eachof the black-and-white non-drawings (e.g., black-and-white photographs)in the stage my_images_stage, the user could run a command such as:

select get_presigned_URL (  @my_images_stage,  file_URL ) aspresigned_URL from  image_file_catalog_table where  is_black_and_white =true AND  is_drawing = false ;

This command would return a one-column relation, where the column isnamed “presigned_URL,” containing a presigned URL for each of the filesthat correspond to rows in image_file_catalog_table (i.e., in thefile-catalog table 300) in which the corresponding image file had beendetermined to be both a black-and-white image and not a drawing. A usercould then click on any one or more of those presigned URLs to access(e.g., download) the actual image files, since the presigned URLs wouldinclude access tokens to grant temporary access to the correspondingfiles. Certainly many other example commands could be listed here aswell. In embodiments in which my_images_stage was created with itsencryption property set to “SSE,” those downloaded files would beunencrypted (in some cases once they emerge from an HTTPS/TLS or similarconnection used in transit). Using commands such as these, customers cangenerate tables, views, and/or the like to store presigned URLs andother file metadata. Customers can then run queries on such tables,views, etc., unlocking the power of the data platform 100 as applied totheir files stored on (internal or external) stages.

Pipelines for File-Metadata Ingestion

Furthermore, in accordance with various embodiments of the presentdisclosure, users (e.g., customers) of the data platform 100 can readilydevelop pipelines for automated ingestion into their account on the dataplatform 100 of metadata pertaining to files stored on stages. Somefeatures of various embodiments that facilitate the construction of suchpipelines are described below. As above, the examples that are describedbelow relate to an external stage 120.

API Integration

One such feature of the data platform 100 that contributes to enablingcustomers to build file-metadata-ingestion pipelines is known as APIintegrations. As used herein, in at least one embodiment, an APIintegration is an account-level object that defines the manner in whicha user having a given role (that itself has sufficient privileges) wouldinteract with an HTTPS proxy service that may be provided by a givencloud-storage platform 118 such as AWS™, AZURE® and/or the like. Asabove, AWS™ examples are presented here for illustration.

In at least one embodiment, an API integration is the mechanism by whicha given external API/function is made available as a table function inthe data platform 100. An example syntax for creation of such an APIintegration could take the form of:

create API integration get_metadata_api_integration enabled = trueallowed_URLs = (  ‘https://[example_server]/default/get-image-metadata’, ‘https://[example_server]/default/get-pdf-metadata’ )where “example_server” could be a server on the associated cloud-storageplatform 118.

This example API integration is named “get_metadata_api_integration”and, as shown in the two examples of allowed URLs, can be used inconnection with retrieving metadata related to image files and metadatarelated to PDF files. Certainly other types of files could be includedas well or instead of these example types. The specification of one ormore allowed URLs for a given API integration is one example way tocontrol which one or more URLs can be navigated to when using thecorresponding API integration for an external function, as describedmore fully below. Thus, within a given API integration, the “allowedURLs” is a permitted-URLs list of the one or more URLs that arepermitted under that API integration. A given allowed URL may correspondto an external function developed in, e.g., AWS™. API integrations ingeneral may be a way to formalize and effectively manage interactionsbetween the data platform 100 and one or more external functions. In atleast one embodiment, once the above example API integration has beencreated, the data platform 100 is able to authenticate with theREpresentational State Transfer (REST) API of the associatedcloud-storage platform 118. After this, users can create and/or accessthe external function to get image metadata.

External Function

The example customer may, before or after creating the above-describedexample API integration, create an associated external function for usein connection with that API integration. While two example functions(“get-image-metadata” and “get-pdf-metadata”) were referenced above inthe syntax used to create the example get_metadata_api_integration, itis the first of those two that is focused on here. The customer maycreate an “external function” object to reference that external functionusing syntax such as:

create external function get_image_metadata_ext_function ( presigned_URL string ) returns  variant api_integration =get_metadata_api_integration as‘https://[example_server]/default/get-image-metadata’ ;

As can be seen in this example, the external-function object that isbeing created sets ‘get_metadata_api_integration’ as its API integrationand selects the displayed URL from among the two allowed URLs in thatAPI integration as being the URL for this particular exampleexternal-function object, which is named‘get_image_metadata_ext_function.’ Furthermore, this external-functionobject takes a single (string) argument: a presigned URL for a file onthe associated stage. The actual external function that is implementedon the cloud-storage platform 118 could operate in a manner similar tothe “image-processing function” that is discussed above (in that case inthe context of producing JSON files). Indeed, this example externalfunction may produce and then return a variant that includessemi-structured content similar to the example JSON file shown above,such that the below-described task could read individual fields fromthat returned variant.

FIG. 4 shows an example message flow 400 in which a customer account 402at the data platform 100 is used to invoke an API to call an externalfunction. A user in the customer account 402 makes an API invocation404, which results in an external-function call 406. Theexternal-function call 406 results in the cloud-storage platform 118carrying out an external-function execution 408, which in turn resultsin a file-metadata-and/or-contents return 410 from the cloud-storageplatform 118 to the customer account 402. Following thefile-metadata-and/or-contents return 410, the customer account 402carries out a file-metadata-and/or-contents storage 412. Theexternal-function call 406 and the file-metadata-and/or-contents return410 could be accomplished using one or more HTTP/TLS connections.Further details regarding the manner in which one or more of these stepscould be carried out are discussed below. For example, the execution ofa task that references a stream on a table or stage could involve theAPI invocation 404 and the external-function call 406, which in turnresult in the external-function execution 408, thefile-metadata-and/or-contents return 410, and thefile-metadata-and/or-contents storage 412.

Stream

Once the above-described API integration and external-function objecthave been created, the customer can continue the construction of afile-metadata-ingestion pipeline by creating what is known as a stream,in this case a stream on the table named image_file_catalog_table (i.e.,the table depicted as the file-catalog table 300 of FIG. 3), usingsyntax such as:

-   create stream image_file_catalog_stream-   on-   table image_file_catalog_table;

This example stream may be referred to as a “table stream,” in that itis a stream that is created on a particular table, in this caseimage_file_catalog_table, which is referred to as the “source table” forthe created stream, which, as shown above, is namedimage_file_catalog_stream. As a general matter, a stream recordsdata-manipulation-language (DML) changes made to a table, includinginformation about inserts, updates, and deletes. That information isalso referred to in the art as change-data-capture (CDC) information.The manner in which this created stream could be used in exampleembodiments is further described below.

Task

The example customer could continue constructing the above-referencedfile-metadata-ingestion pipeline by creating a task object named‘image_file_metadata_task’ using syntax such as:

create task image_file_metadata_task warehouse = my_warehouse as insertinto image_file_catalog_table (  select  get_image_metadata_ext_function(file_URL):file_name,  get_image_metadata_ext_function(file_URL):image_format,  get_image_metadata_ext_function(file_URL):x_dimension,  get_image_metadata_ext_function(file_URL):y_dimension,  get_image_metadata_ext_function(file_URL):is_drawing,  get_image_metadata_ext_function(file_URL):is_black_and_white,  get_image_metadata_ext_function(file_URL):tags,  get_image_metadata_ext_function(file_URL):dominant_color,  get_relative_path(‘@my_images_stage’, file_URL) from image_file_catalog_stream where  metadata$action = ‘insert’ ) ;

The syntax “merge into” can be used instead of “insert into” in theabove task-creation command in at least one embodiment. Moreover, it isnoted that the condition “where metadata$action=‘insert’” is an exampleof how the “metadata$” prefix is available in some embodiments of thedata platform 100 to reference metadata that is identified, controlled,and made available by the data platform 100. In at least one embodiment,customers can use such syntax but cannot alter or delete the associatedmetadata items (e.g., metadata columns).

In at least one embodiment, at least two “metadata$” columns areprovided by the data platform 100: “metadata$action” and“metadata$is_update.” Moreover, at least two “metadata$action” valuesare supported in an embodiment: ‘insert’ and delete.’ Others could besupported as well. The metadata$is_update column may store a Booleanvalue indicating whether the metadata$action (of ‘insert’ or ‘delete’)in the corresponding row in the table stream was part of an update toone or more rows in the source table (i.e., inimage_file_catalog_table). Such an update may correspond to a file beingreplaced on the cloud storage, which, in at least one implementation,triggers both a delete notification and an insert notification.

In at least one embodiment, whenever the task is executed, it willretrieve metadata for each newly inserted image file in the stage andinsert that retrieved metadata into the table namedimage_file_catalog_table, along with inserting the result of theget_relative_path( ) function shown above into the file-URL column 330.In at least one embodiment, the above task will make only a single callto the above-defined external function named‘get_image_metadata_ext_function.’ It is noted that the files processedby a given external function can be internal files or external files. Inthe case of internal files, in some embodiments, such files can beprocessed by JavaScript procedures and/or Java functions.

Stage Enhancements

This section of the disclosure describes several enhancements that areavailable during external-stage creation in accordance with at least oneembodiment.

Built-In File-Catalog Table

In at least one embodiment, when creating either an internal stage 114or an external stage 120, a user can elect to instruct the data platform100 to create a built-in file-catalog table, which may have a schema(and example content) similar to what is depicted and described hereinin connection with the file-catalog table 200 of FIG. 2, but wouldinstead be managed and controlled by the data platform 100, while stillbeing available to users (e.g., customers). Thus, in at least oneembodiment, a customer would not have permissions to alter a built-infile-catalog table, drop (i.e., delete) a built-in file-catalog table,and the like, and the schema of the table is defined by the dataplatform 100. In some embodiments, a special type of stage (other thansimply “internal” and “external”) could be implemented for stages thatinclude a built-in file-catalog table, though that is not the type ofembodiments that are described below.

Moreover, in some embodiments, a file-catalog table (e.g., a built-infile-catalog table) includes references to files not just in one (e.g.,external) stage, but in multiple different stages that could be internaland/or external. In some embodiments, a file-catalog table includeslisting of files in stages across multiple cloud-storage platforms. Insome such instances, at least one of the multiple cloud-storageplatforms may implement different syntax and/or different outward-facingmetadata properties with respect to files stored thereon as comparedwith at least one other of the multiple cloud-storage platforms. Thedata platform 100 may standardize such differences to produce a unifiedpresentation to its users. The implementation of multi-cloudfile-catalog tables is useful in use cases such as deduplication of dataacross cloud stages, searching metadata across cloud stages, takinginventory of data assets across cloud stages, and/or the like.

Returning to the present example, in at least one embodiment, the usermay elect the option of having the data platform 100 create a built-infile-catalog table in an internal stage 114 using syntax such as thefollowing when creating the stage:

create stage <my_images_stage> encryption = (type = SSE)store_file_catalog = true

Thus, the user can elect this option by setting a flag such asstore_file_catalog to true. If the user does not want to elect thisoption, the user could set store_file_catalog to false. In someembodiments, if the user does not specify a value for a flag such asstore_file_catalog, a default value (which could be true or false invarious different implementations) is selected for the user. For anexternal stage 120, the user may elect the option of having the dataplatform 100 create a built-in file-catalog table using syntax such asthe following:

create stage <my_images_stage> stage_URL =‘s3://example_bucket/my_images_stage’ store_file_catalog = true

In at least one embodiment, when store_file_catalog is set to true foreither an internal stage 114 or an external stage 120, the data platform100 responsively creates a built-in file-catalog table for the stage andstores the file catalog in that table. The data platform 100 may createthe built-in file-catalog table as an object inside the same database inwhich the associated stage is also an object, or in another database. Asstated, the built-in file-catalog table could have the same schema asthe file-catalog table 200 (named ‘file_catalog_table’ in thisdisclosure), which is also the example schema presented herein for thelist_files( ) function. In at least one embodiment, once thestore_file_catalog flag has been set to true (during or, in someembodiments, after, stage creation), the data platform 100 does notpermit the user to change that value; in other embodiments, the dataplatform 100 does permit the user to change that value, in which casethe data platform 100 may delete the built-in file-catalog table fromthe associated stage. In at least one embodiment, in stages that have abuilt-in file-catalog table, users can select from this table, createviews on this table, and/or the like.

Thus, in at least one embodiment, the structure of a built-infile-catalog table includes, like the file-catalog table 200 andfile-catalog table 300 discussed above, a row that corresponds to eachfile in the associated stage. The structure in at least one embodimentalso includes a number of columns that include metadata about the files.These could be the same columns that are shown in the file-catalog table200, for example, and those would be the columns that, in at least oneembodiment, would be returned if a user did a “select *” from thebuilt-in file-catalog table.

In at least one embodiment, the data platform 100 (i) maintains one ormore platform-controlled metadata columns that are associated with filesthat are referenced in the built-in file-catalog table and (ii) grantsaccess to the one or more platform-controlled metadata columns using asyntax such as the “metadata$” syntax described above. In someembodiments, the data platform 100 maintains at least the followingplatform-controlled metadata columns in association with the files thatare referenced in the built-in file-catalog table, in some cases inaddition to one or more others:

-   metadata$filename-   metadata$relative_path-   metadata$presigned_URL    where the ‘metadata$filename’ column may contain the name of the    file corresponding to that row, the ‘metadata$relative_path’ column    may contain the same string as would be returned by the function    get_relative_path( ) when called with its arguments set to (i) the    name of the associated stage and the (ii) absolute path of the file    corresponding to that row in the built-in file-catalog table, and    the ‘metadata$presigned_URL’ column may contain the same string    (i.e., the same presigned_URL) that would be returned by the    function get_presigned_URL( ) when called with its arguments set    to (i) the name of the associated stage and (ii) the relative path    on that stage of the file corresponding to that row in the built-in    file-catalog table.

In addition to implementing these columns, the data platform 100 mayalso implement such “metadata$” columns in the context of tables thatare populated using the list_files( ) function. To illustrate thispossibility, FIG. 5 shows an example file-catalog table 500 that isidentical to the file-catalog table 300 of FIG. 3 other than that (i)the reference numbers are in the 500 series instead of the 300 seriesand (ii) the file-catalog table 500 includes (a) a relative-pathmetadata column 532 that would correspond to the syntax“metadata$relative_path” and (b) a presigned-URL metadata column 534that would correspond to the syntax “metadata$presigned_URL.”

The relative-path metadata column 532 and the presigned-URL metadatacolumn 534 are shown in FIG. 5 as being offset from the main body of thefile-catalog table 500 by horizontal connecting lines to illustratetheir “meta” relation to the rest of the file-catalog table 500. In atleast one embodiment, statements such as “select * from [thefile-catalog table 500]” would not result in values from therelative-path metadata column 532 or the presigned-URL metadata column534 being returned, in that those columns in at least one embodimentwould need to be expressly requested in order to be returned. Ingeneral, in at least one embodiment, the “metadata$” columns only showup in statement results if explicitly included in such statements (e.g.,“select metadata$presigned_URL from . . . ”). Moreover, a similarversion of the file-catalog table 200, which could be a built-infile-catalog table, could be shown as including those “metadata$”columns.

With respect to the metadata$presigned_URL column (e.g., thepresigned-URL metadata column 534), due to the time-sensitive nature(i.e., the expiration time) of most presigned URLs, the data platform100 may periodically refresh that column, or may be configured togenerate a new presigned URL (by, e.g., calling the functionget_presigned_URL( )) whenever a statement that includes‘metadata$presigned_URL’ is executed. Other implementations are possibleas well. In most implementations, a new timestamp could not simply besubstituted into a given presigned URL, since that timestamp value istypically an input into the hash algorithm that is used to generate theaccess token in the presigned URL.

Command: Refresh

In at least one embodiment, the data platform 100 provides a “refresh”command that can be used in connection with, e.g., a built-infile-catalog table. This command is usable in various embodiments forrealizing an “auto-sync” functionality for a built-in file-catalogtable. In at least one embodiment, the built-in file-catalog table ispopulated using the refresh command, which could have syntax such as:

-   alter stage stage_name refresh [sub_path];

As shown, the refresh command makes use of an “alter” command, and hasan optional sub-path parameter. In an embodiment, if the sub-pathparameter is provided, it specifies a relative path to the stagelocation, and the refresh command will only refresh the built-infile-catalog table for all files under the specified sub-path. Thus,using the example scenarios described above, a user could issue acommand such as:

-   alter stage my_images_stage refresh;-   or-   alter stage my_images_stage refresh ‘/landscapes’;

The refresh command can be used for bootstrapping the built-infile-catalog table, initial population of the built-in file-catalogtable, and/or the like. Moreover, unique identifiers for stages otherthan stage names could be used in different implementations of therefresh command. The command functions to refresh all of the specifiedrows of the built-in file-catalog table.

The refresh command could be used a first time to capture all filesalready in a stage, and could be used one or more times (e.g.,periodically and/or in response to one or more defined triggers (e.g., acustomer's system or the associated storage platform experiencing anoutage, an authentication issue with respect to an associated externalstage 120, etc.)) to cause the built-in file-catalog table to berestored from source. In a typical implementation, then, the informationin the built-in file-catalog table is redundant in that it reflects thecollection of files that are actually on a given stage. As an analogy,if a phone book were lost, the various residents are still in theirhouses, though it would likely be quite an expensive and time-consumingendeavor to recreate the phone book. Similarly, a refresh command couldbe a computationally expensive and time-consuming operation depending onthe number of files on the stage or in the specified sub-path.

Notification Integration

In at least one embodiment, the data platform 100 provides an optionduring stage creation to specify that the stage being created includeswhat is known as a notification integration, which in at least oneembodiment is an account-level object that provides an interface betweenthe data platform 100 and third-party notification services (e.g.,third-party cloud message-queuing services); thus, a given notificationintegration may define how the data platform 100 interfaces andinteracts with a given third-party notification service. Anotification-integration stage property may be enabled during creationof an internal stage 114 using syntax such as:

-   create stage my_images_stage-   encryption=(type=SSE)-   store_file_catalog=true-   notification_integration=‘image_file_catalog_notification_integration’

In at least one embodiment, the notification-integration stage propertyis optional and, if included during stage creation, enables the propertyand creates a notification integration having the specified name. A usermay enable the notification-integration stage property for an externalstage 120 using syntax such as:

create stage <my_images_stage> stage_URL =‘s3://example_bucket/my_images_stage’ store_file_catalog = truenotification_integration = ‘image_file_catalog_notification_integration’

The data platform 100, in at least one embodiment, responds to thenotification-integration stage property being enabled for a given stageby creating a pipe and reading notifications from an auto-ingestinfrastructure of the data platform 100. In at least one embodiment, foreach file-put notification, the data platform 100 inserts a record aboutthe new file in the built-in file-catalog table. Moreover, in at leastone embodiment, for each file-delete notification, the data platform 100deletes the corresponding record from the built-in file-catalog table.In at least one embodiment, the data platform 100 imposes a constrainton the notification-integration stage property, which is that thecreated notification integration is the same for the cloud-storageplatform 118 as it is for the stage.

Creation of Stream on Stage and Task on Stream

Furthermore, in at least one embodiment, the data platform 100facilitates the above-mentioned auto-sync capability for the built-infile-catalog table by creating a stream on the built-in file-catalogtable. In at least some such embodiments, when a new file shows up inthe stage, the data platform 100 recognizes that and catalogs it,promoting an ongoing synced relationship between the contents of thebuilt-in file-catalog table and the actual files present on theassociated stage. This functionality enables use of the CDC capabilitiesof stream objects provided in at least some embodiments by the dataplatform 100. Embodiments that make use of this functionality thereforetake advantage of table streams provided by the data platform 100 andlimit processing in many instances to newly inserted files and/orupdated files. The customer may use syntax such as:

-   create stream stream_name-   on-   stage stage_name;    For example, assuming that my_images_stage was created with    store_file_catalog set to true, the customer could use syntax such    as:-   create stream image_file_catalog_stream-   on-   stage my_images_stage;    In at least one embodiment, the schema of the created stream is the    same as that of the built-in file-catalog table, along with the two    extra columns metadata$action and metadata$is_update as described    above.

The customer could then create a task on this stream similar to theexample given above. In this manner, the customer could automaticallykeep the file-catalog table in sync with the actual current inventory offiles in the stage. The stream in at least one embodiment uses its CDCcapabilities to identify which one or more files are added to theassociated stage, updated in the associated stage, and/or removed fromthe associated stage, thus enabling change tracking on the file catalog(i.e., the built-in file-catalog table) that is stored for the stage.

Moreover, in some embodiments, customers could implement code to keep atable such as the file-catalog table 300 (or the file-catalog table 500)up-to-date based on changes to the built-in file-catalog table. Thus, acustomer could use the addition or updating of one or more files asreflected in the built-in file-catalog table or the stream on that tableas a trigger to call an external function to reprocess the added/updatedfiles to keep the file-catalog table 300 (or the file-catalog table 500)current. Similarly, deletions to the file-catalog table 200 could beused as triggers to make parallel deletions from the file-catalog table300 (or the file-catalog table 500). Such implementations may be usefulin handling the fact that many files are different from one another andmany customers are interested in different sets of metadata parametersregarding their files, and, as such, customers may design many differenttables like the file-catalog table 300 (or the file-catalog table 500).Having a standard schema for the list_files( ) function and/or thebuilt-in file-catalog table provides a standard springboard off of whichcustomers can implement customizations. Additionally or instead, thedata platform 100 could provide one or more tables that are derivativesof the built-in file-catalog table. Other implementations are possibleas well.

Example Use Case: File Sharing

The presently disclosed systems and methods provide numerouscustomizations that could be implemented. In this section, the term“file-catalog table” is used to mean any table similar to thefile-catalog table 200 (whether built-in or generated using thelist_files( ) function or another similar function), the file-catalogtable 300, the file-catalog table 500, and/or the like. Withfile-catalog information for stages formalized in database-tablestructures (i.e., file-catalog tables) as described herein, customersare able to, as discussed, perform powerful database operations withrespect to one or more of their file-catalog tables. Such databaseoperations include running queries, generating views, and the like. Oneexample use case is discussed below.

This use case relates to enabling customers to share files in a secureway. In accordance with at least one embodiment, a customer could createa customized view over a given one of its file-catalog tables. In thisexample, the files are not image files but instead are medical recordsfor multiple different patients in the form of PDF files. In thisexample, the customer (e.g., a medical-records company) creates aderivative file-catalog table similar to the file-catalog table 500 inwhich there is a field for patient number (e.g., a unique identifier ofa given patient, as multiple patients can have the same name). In thisexample, there is also a field that indicates which hospital a patientis (or was) in. Further to this example, the aforementioned derivativefile-catalog table contains patient records across multiple hospitals.The customer could create a view that (i) is limited to patients thatare (or were) in one particular hospital and (ii) includes presignedURLs (from making use of either the function get_predesigned_URL( ) orthe metadata column metadata$presigned_URL) for each PDF file for theassociated patients that are (or were) in that one particular hospital.The customer can then simply share that view with the particularhospital and thereby properly provide, to that particular hospital,access to only their records, protecting the privacy of patients thatare (or were) in one or more other hospitals by keeping those files outof reach of the particular hospital with which the view was shared inthis example, and protecting the privacy of patients associated withthat one particular hospital due to the high security and time-limitednature of presigned URLs.

This type of implementation is a meaningful advance over currentimplementations in which, for example, files are stored with a dateprefix and can only be shared using expressions on thosenaming-convention date prefixes, which does not account for the factsthat, as examples, patients associated with a given hospital wouldlikely have records from multiple dates and patients associated withmultiple different hospitals would likely have records from the samedate. The creation of a secure view on top of a file-catalog table asdescribed herein addresses this use case very effectively. This is a wayof realizing an authorization system built on top of a file-catalogtable. Moreover, it is contemplated that different list_files( )functions and different built-in file-catalog tables could be providedby the data platform 100 for different customers, so a use case such asthis could be with respect to a derivative table as discussed above, alist_files( )-generated table, a built-in file-catalog table, and/oranother type of file-catalog table.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example method 600, in accordance with at leastone embodiment. In various different embodiments, the method 600 couldbe performed by any computing and communication device or system of suchdevices that is suitably programmed or otherwise arranged to perform theoperations described herein. In some embodiments, all or part of themethod 600 is performed by the database manager 102, which may involveone or more aspects of the method 600 being performed by the resourcemanager 104, one or more aspects of the method 600 being performed bythe execution platform 106, and/or one or more aspects of the method 600being performed by one or more other functional components of thedatabase manager 102. By way of example and not limitation, the method600 is described below as being performed by the database manager 102 ofthe data platform 100.

At operation 602, the database manager 102 receives a stage-creationinstruction from a client 116. The stage-creation instruction requestscreation by the data platform 100 of creation of a file stage for a user(e.g., customer) account on the data platform 100, where the useraccount is associated with the client 116. The file stage could be aninternal stage or an external stage with respect to the data platform.In the case of the file stage being an internal stage, that internalstage could be server-side-encrypted but not client-side-encrypted.

At operation 604, the database manager 102 receives afile-catalog-table-creation instruction from the client 116. Thefile-catalog-table-creation instruction requests creation by the dataplatform of a file-catalog table for the file stage. In some cases, thestage-creation instruction includes the file-catalog-table-creationinstruction—for example, a flag such as ‘store_file_catalog’ could beset to true as part of a “create stage” command, as described above; insuch cases, the file-catalog table could be a built-in file-catalogtable that is managed by the data platform 100.

In other cases, the file-catalog-table-creation instruction could bereceived after the receiving of the stage-creation instruction and thecorresponding creation of the stage. For example, a user could employ a“create table” command to create a file-catalog table in connection witha stage. In some such embodiments, the data platform 100 may receive acall to a table function such as list_files( ), and may responsivelyexecute the associated table function to populate the file-catalogtable, with, e.g., one or more outward-facing properties of the files inthat file stage. In this type of embodiment, the file-catalog table maybe a user-designed file-catalog table. In other cases, the file-catalogtable could be a built-in file-catalog table in embodiments in which thedata platform 100 permits, e.g., the enabling of a flag such as‘store-file-catalog’ subsequent to creation of the associated stage.

At operation 606, the database manager 102, in response to receiving thefile-catalog-table-creation instruction at operation 604, creates therequested file-catalog table for the file stage, where the file-catalogtable contains one or more metadata items corresponding to one or morefiles in the file stage that was requested to be created at operation602. The database manager 102 may create the file-catalog table in adatabase in the user account on the data platform 100. Both thefile-catalog table and the file stage could be objects within a databaseobject that represents the database in the user account. After thefile-catalog table has been created, the database manager 102 mayreceive and execute one or more database-table commands on thefile-catalog table. These commands may include selecting from thefile-catalog table, creating one of more views over the file-catalogtable, applying one or more predicates to the file-catalog table, and/orthe like.

In at least one embodiment, the database manager 102 may receive anexternal-function call with respect to the file stage, and mayresponsively execute an associated external function to retrievemetadata and/or content with respect to one or more of the files in thefile stage. The retrieved metadata and/or content may include one ormore outward-facing properties and/or one or more content-dependentproperties of one or more of the files in the file stage.

The database manager 102 may execute a refresh command one or more timeswith respect to the file-catalog table. For example, the databasemanager 102 may execute the refresh command periodically with respect tothe file-catalog table.

Moreover, the database manager 102 may receive and execute commands tocreate and share a view (e.g., a secure view) over the file-catalogtable. The view may include presigned URLs for providing access to filesreferenced in the view, and the files referenced in the view may be lessthan all of the files in the file stage.

The database manager 102 may implement a stream on the file stage, andmay update the file-catalog table based on the stream on the file stage,in some cases using a task with respect to the stream for updating thefile-catalog table. The database manager 102 may implement a stream onthe file-catalog table, and may update a second (e.g., derivative) tablebased on the stream on the file-catalog table. In some embodiments, thedatabase manager 102 utilizes a notification service (via, e.g., anotification integration) to receive notifications with respect tochanges to the file stage, and updates the file-catalog table based onnotifications received from the notification service.

In at least one embodiment, the file-catalog-table-creation instruction(that is received at operation 604) requests creation by the dataplatform 100 of a (unified) file-catalog table for multiple file stages(including the example file stage that is discussed above in connectionwith the method 600). In such embodiments, the file-catalog table maycontain one or more metadata items corresponding to one or more filesacross multiple file stages. The multiple file stages may include atleast one internal stage with respect to the data platform 100 and atleast one external stage with respect to the data platform 100. Insteador in addition, the multiple file stages may span multiple cloud-storageplatforms (e.g., one or more of the cloud-storage platforms 118 and insome cases a cloud-storage platform utilized by the data platform 100for implementing its storage platform 110).

As described above, in one or more embodiments of the method 600, thefile stage could be internal or external. The requested file-catalogtable could be user-defined or could be a built-in file-catalog table.The file-catalog-table-creation instruction that is received atoperation 604 could be part of the stage-creation instruction that isreceived at operation 602; that is, the file stage could be requested aspart of the instruction to create the stage. In other embodiments, thefile-catalog-table-creation instruction that is received at operation604 is received after stage creation, e.g., using a “create table”syntax and then populating the created table using a function such aslist_files( ). One or more streams could be created on one or moretables, and one or more tasks could be created with respect to one ormore streams. External functions could be employed via API integrations.Furthermore, any one or more of the numerous options described hereincould be present in one or more embodiments of the method 600. Moreover,numerous other methods could be defined as well.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example computing device 700, in accordance withat least one embodiment. In some embodiments, the computing device 700is used to implement one or more of the systems and components discussedherein. Further, the computing device 700 may interact with any of thesystems and components described herein. Accordingly, the computingdevice 700 may be used to perform various procedures and tasks, such asthose discussed herein. The computing device 700 can function as aserver, a client, or any other computing entity. The computing device700 can be any of a wide variety of computing devices, such as a desktopcomputer, a notebook computer, a server computer, a handheld computer, amobile device, a tablet, and/or the like.

In the depicted embodiment, the computing device 700 includes one ormore processor(s) 702, one or more memory device(s) 704, one or moreinterface(s) 706, one or more mass storage device(s) 708, and one ormore input/output device(s) 710, all of which are coupled to a bus 714.The processor(s) 702 includes one or more processors or controllers thatexecute instructions stored in the memory device(s) 704 and/or the massstorage device(s) 708.

The memory device(s) 704 can include various computer-storage media,such as volatile memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM)) and/ornonvolatile memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM)). The memory device(s)704 may also include rewritable ROM, such as Flash memory. Theprocessor(s) 702 may also include various types of computer-storagemedia, such as cache memory.

The interface(s) 706 may include various interfaces that allow thecomputing device 700 to interact with other systems, devices, computingenvironments, and/or the like. Example interface(s) 706 include anynumber of different network interfaces, such as interfaces to local areanetworks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), wireless networks, theInternet, and/or the like.

The mass storage device(s) 708 may include various computer-storagemedia, such as magnetic tapes, magnetic disks, optical disks,solid-state memory (e.g., Flash memory), and so forth. Various drivesmay also be included in the mass storage device(s) 708 to enable readingfrom and/or writing to the various computer-storage media. The massstorage device(s) 708 may include removable media and/or non-removablemedia.

The input/output device(s) 710 may include various devices that allowdata and/or other information to be input to and/or retrieved from thecomputing device 700. Example input/output device(s) 710 includecursor-control devices, keyboards, keypads, microphones, monitors orother display devices, speakers, printers, network interface cards,modems, lenses, CCDs or other image-capture devices, and the like.

The bus 714 allows the processor(s) 702, the memory device(s) 704, theinterface(s) 706, the mass storage device(s) 708, and the input/outputdevice(s) 710 to communicate with one another, as well as with otherdevices or components that may be coupled to the bus 714. The bus 714represents one or more of several types of bus structures, such as asystem bus, a PCI bus, an IEEE 1394 bus, a USB bus, and/or the like. Insome examples, the bus 714 includes one or more network connections.

For purposes of illustration, programs and other executable programcomponents are shown herein as discrete blocks, although it isunderstood that such programs and components may reside at various timesin different storage components of the computing device 700 and areexecuted by the processor(s) 702. Alternatively, the systems andprocedures described herein can be implemented in hardware, or using acombination of hardware and software and/or firmware. For example, oneor more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) can beprogrammed to carry out one or more of the systems and proceduresdescribed herein.

Executable Instructions and Computer-Storage Medium/Media

The various memories may store one or more sets of instructions 712 anddata structures (e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one ormore of the methodologies or functions described herein. Theseinstructions 712, when executed by the processor(s) 702, cause variousoperations to implement the disclosed embodiments.

As used herein, the terms “computer-storage medium (and media),”“machine-storage medium (and media),” and “device-storage medium (andmedia)” mean the same thing and may be used interchangeably in thisdisclosure. The terms refer to a single storage device or multiplestorage devices and/or media (e.g., a centralized or distributeddatabase, and/or associated caches and servers) that store executableinstructions and/or data. The terms shall accordingly be taken toinclude, but not be limited to, solid-state memories as well as opticaland magnetic media, including memory internal or external to processors.Specific examples of computer-storage media, machine-storage media,and/or device-storage media include non-volatile memory, include by wayof example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., erasable programmableread-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EEPROM), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and flashmemory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removabledisks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The terms“computer-storage medium (and media),” “machine-storage medium (andmedia),” and “device-storage medium (and media)” specifically excludecarrier waves, modulated data signals, and other such media, at leastsome of which are covered under the term “transmission medium (andmedia)” discussed below.

Transmission Medium/Media

In various example embodiments, any network or portion of a networkdescribed herein may be an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, avirtual private network (VPN), a local-area network (LAN), a wirelessLAN (WLAN), a wide-area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), ametropolitan-area network (MAN), the Internet, a portion of theInternet, a portion of the public switched telephone network (PSTN), aplain old telephone service (POTS) network, a cellular telephonenetwork, a wireless network, a Wi-Fi network, another type of network,or a combination of two or more such networks. For example, any networkor portion of a network described herein may include a wireless orcellular network, and one or more utilized couplings may be CodeDivision Multiple Access (CDMA) connections, Global System for Mobilecommunications (GSM) connections, or another type of cellular orwireless coupling. In this example, a coupling may implement any of avariety of types of data-transfer technology, such as Single CarrierRadio Transmission Technology (1×RTT), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO)technology, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology, EnhancedData rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology, third GenerationPartnership Project (3GPP) including 3G, fourth generation wireless (4G)networks, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High-SpeedPacket Access (HSPA), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access(WiMAX), Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, others defined by variousstandard-setting organizations, other long-range protocols, and/or otherdata-transfer technology.

The instructions 712 may be transmitted or received over a network usinga transmission medium via a network interface device (e.g., a networkinterface component) and utilizing any one of a number of well-knowntransfer protocols (e.g., hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)).Similarly, the instructions 712 may be transmitted or received using atransmission medium via a coupling (e.g., a peer-to-peer coupling) toone or more devices. The terms “transmission medium (and media)” and“signal medium (and media)” mean the same thing and may be usedinterchangeably in this disclosure. The terms “transmission medium (andmedia)” and “signal medium (and media)” shall be taken to include anyintangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying theinstructions 712 for execution by the computing device 700, and includedigital or analog communications signals or other intangible media tofacilitate communication of such software. Hence, the terms“transmission medium (and media)” and “signal medium (and media)” shallbe taken to include any form of modulated data signal, carrier wave, andso forth. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has oneor more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as toencode information in the signal.

Computer-Readable Medium/Media

The terms “computer-readable medium (and media),” “machine-readablemedium (and media),” and “device-readable medium (and media)” mean thesame thing and may be used interchangeably in this disclosure. The termsare defined to include both computer-storage media and transmissionmedia. Thus, the terms include both storage devices and storage media aswell as carrier waves and modulated data signals.

Examples of Embodiments

Following is a list of some examples of embodiments.

Example 1 is a method that includes receiving, at a data platform thatincludes at least one hardware processor, a stage-creation instructionfrom a client, the stage-creation instruction requesting creation by thedata platform of creation of a file stage for a user account on the dataplatform, the user account being associated with the client; receiving,at the data platform, a file-catalog-table-creation instruction from theclient, the file-catalog-table-creation instruction requesting creationby the data platform of a file-catalog table for the file stage; andcreating, by the data platform in response to receiving thefile-catalog-table-creation instruction, the file-catalog table for thefile stage, the file-catalog table containing one or more metadata itemscorresponding to one or more files in the file stage.

Example 2 is the method of Example 1, where the file stage includes aninternal stage with respect to the data platform.

Example 3 is the method of Example 1, where the file stage includes anexternal stage with respect to the data platform.

Example 4 is the method of any of the Examples 1-3, where thestage-creation instruction includes the file-catalog-table-creationinstruction; and the creating of the file-catalog table for the filestage includes creating a built-in file-catalog table for the file stagein response to receiving the stage-creation instruction, the built-infile-catalog table being managed by the data platform.

Example 5 is the method of any of the Examples 1-3, where the receivingof the file-catalog-table-creation instruction occurs subsequent to thereceiving of the stage-creation instruction.

Example 6 is the method of Example 5, further including receiving alist-files-table-function call from the client with respect to the filestage: and executing, in response to receiving the list-files-functioncall, a list-files table function to populate the file-catalog table.

Example 7 is the method of any of the Examples 1-6, further includingreceiving and executing commands to create and share a view over thefile-catalog table, the view including presigned URLs for providingaccess to files referenced in the view, the files referenced in the viewbeing less than all of the files in the file stage.

Example 8 is the method of any of the Examples 1-7, further includingimplementing a stream on the file stage; and updating the file-catalogtable based on the stream on the file stage.

Example 9 is the method of any of the Examples 1-8, further includingimplementing a stream on the file-catalog table; and updating a secondtable based on the stream on the file-catalog table.

Example 10 is the method of any of the Examples 1-9, where thefile-catalog-table-creation instruction requests creation by the dataplatform of a file-catalog table for a plurality of file stages, theplurality of file stages including the file stage; and the file-catalogtable contains one or more metadata items corresponding to one or morefiles across the plurality of file stages.

Example 11 is a data platform that includes at least one hardwareprocessor; and one or more computer-storage media containinginstructions executable by the at least one hardware processor forcausing the at least one hardware processor to perform operationsincluding receiving a stage-creation instruction from a client, thestage-creation instruction requesting creation by the data platform ofcreation of a file stage for a user account on the data platform, theuser account being associated with the client; receiving afile-catalog-table-creation instruction from the client, thefile-catalog-table-creation instruction requesting creation by the dataplatform of a file-catalog table for the file stage; and creating, inresponse to receiving the file-catalog-table-creation instruction, thefile-catalog table for the file stage, the file-catalog table containingone or more metadata items corresponding to one or more files in thefile stage.

Example 12 is the data platform of Example 11, where the file stageincludes an internal stage with respect to the data platform.

Example 13 is the data platform of Example 11, where the file stageincludes an external stage with respect to the data platform.

Example 14 is the data platform of any of the Examples 11-13, where thestage-creation instruction includes the file-catalog-table-creationinstruction; and the creating of the file-catalog table for the filestage includes creating a built-in file-catalog table for the file stagein response to receiving the stage-creation instruction, the built-infile-catalog table being managed by the data platform.

Example 15 is the data platform of any of the Examples 11-13, where thereceiving of the file-catalog-table-creation instruction occurssubsequent to the receiving of the stage-creation instruction.

Example 16 is the data platform of Example 15, the operations furtherincluding receiving a list-files-table-function call from the clientwith respect to the file stage: and executing, in response to receivingthe list-files-function call, a list-files table function to populatethe file-catalog table.

Example 17 is the data platform of any of the Examples 11-16, theoperations further including receiving and executing commands to createand share a view over the file-catalog table, the view includingpresigned URLs for providing access to files referenced in the view, thefiles referenced in the view being less than all of the files in thefile stage.

Example 18 is the data platform of any of the Examples 11-17, theoperations further including implementing a stream on the file stage;and updating the file-catalog table based on the stream on the filestage.

Example 19 is the data platform of any of the Examples 11-18, theoperations further including implementing a stream on the file-catalogtable; and updating a second table based on the stream on thefile-catalog table.

Example 20 is the data platform of any of the Examples 11-19, where thefile-catalog-table-creation instruction requests creation by the dataplatform of a file-catalog table for a plurality of file stages, theplurality of file stages including the file stage; and the file-catalogtable contains one or more metadata items corresponding to one or morefiles across the plurality of file stages.

Example 21 is one or more computer-storage media containing instructionsexecutable by at least one hardware processor of a data platform forcausing the at least one hardware processor to perform operationsincluding receiving a stage-creation instruction from a client, thestage-creation instruction requesting creation by the data platform ofcreation of a file stage for a user account on the data platform, theuser account being associated with the client; receiving afile-catalog-table-creation instruction from the client, thefile-catalog-table-creation instruction requesting creation by the dataplatform of a file-catalog table for the file stage; and creating, inresponse to receiving the file-catalog-table-creation instruction, thefile-catalog table for the file stage, the file-catalog table containingone or more metadata items corresponding to one or more files in thefile stage.

Example 22 is the one or more computer-storage media of Example 21,where the file stage includes an internal stage with respect to the dataplatform.

Example 23 is the one or more computer-storage media of Example 21,where the file stage includes an external stage with respect to the dataplatform.

Example 24 is the one or more computer-storage media of any of theExamples 21-23, where the stage-creation instruction includes thefile-catalog-table-creation instruction; and the creating of thefile-catalog table for the file stage includes creating a built-infile-catalog table for the file stage in response to receiving thestage-creation instruction, the built-in file-catalog table beingmanaged by the data platform.

Example 25 is the one or more computer-storage media of any of theExamples 21-23, where the receiving of the file-catalog-table-creationinstruction occurs subsequent to the receiving of the stage-creationinstruction.

Example 26 is the one or more computer-storage media of Example 25, theoperations further including receiving a list-files-table-function callfrom the client with respect to the file stage: and executing, inresponse to receiving the list-files-function call, a list-files tablefunction to populate the file-catalog table.

Example 27 is the one or more computer-storage media of any of theExamples 21-26, the operations further including receiving and executingcommands to create and share a view over the file-catalog table, theview including presigned URLs for providing access to files referencedin the view, the files referenced in the view being less than all of thefiles in the file stage.

Example 28 is the one or more computer-storage media of any of theExamples 21-27, the operations further including implementing a streamon the file stage; and updating the file-catalog table based on thestream on the file stage.

Example 29 is the one or more computer-storage media of any of theExamples 21-28, the operations further including implementing a streamon the file-catalog table; and updating a second table based on thestream on the file-catalog table.

Example 30 is the one or more computer-storage media of any of theExamples 21-29, where the file-catalog-table-creation instructionrequests creation by the data platform of a file-catalog table for aplurality of file stages, the plurality of file stages including thefile stage; and the file-catalog table contains one or more metadataitems corresponding to one or more files across the plurality of filestages.

To promote an understanding of the principles of the present disclosure,various embodiments are illustrated in the drawings. The embodimentsdisclosed herein are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit thepresent disclosure to the precise forms that are disclosed in the abovedetailed description. Rather, the described embodiments have beenselected so that others skilled in the art may utilize their teachings.Accordingly, no limitation of the scope of the present disclosure isthereby intended.

In any instances in this disclosure, including in the claims, in whichnumeric modifiers such as first, second, and third are used in referenceto components, data (e.g., values, identifiers, parameters, and/or thelike), and/or any other elements, such use of such modifiers is notintended to denote or dictate any specific or required order of theelements that are referenced in this manner. Rather, any such use ofsuch modifiers is intended to assist the reader in distinguishingelements from one another, and should not be interpreted as insistingupon any particular order or carrying any other significance, unlesssuch an order or other significance is clearly and affirmativelyexplained herein.

Moreover, consistent with the fact that the entities and arrangementsthat are described herein, including the entities and arrangements thatare depicted in and described in connection with the drawings, arepresented as examples and not by way of limitation, any and allstatements or other indications as to what a particular drawing“depicts,” what a particular element or entity in a particular drawingor otherwise mentioned in this disclosure “is” or “has,” and any and allsimilar statements that are not explicitly self-qualifying by way of aclause such as “In at least one embodiment,” and that could therefore beread in isolation and out of context as absolute and thus as alimitation on all embodiments, can only properly be read as beingconstructively qualified by such a clause. It is for reasons akin tobrevity and clarity of presentation that this implied qualifying clauseis not repeated ad nauseum in this disclosure.

In the present disclosure, various terminology is used in accordancewith provided definitions. Furthermore, it is noted in connection withthe definitions set out herein that the defined terms and phrases asused herein include the provided definitions along with any general andconventional understandings of the meaning of the respective terms andphrases.

It is further noted that, as used in this specification and in theappended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include pluralreferents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,”“characterized by,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive,open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements,method steps, or the like.

Many of the functional units described in this specification may beimplemented as one or more components, which is a term used to moreparticularly emphasize their implementation independence. For example, acomponent may be implemented as a hardware circuit including custom verylarge-scale integration (VLSI) circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelfsemiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, and/or other discretecomponents. A component may also be implemented in programmable hardwaredevices such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmablearray logic, programmable logic devices, and/or the like.

Components may also be implemented in software for execution on varioustypes of hardware (e.g., by various types of processors). An identifiedcomponent of executable code may, for instance, include one or morephysical or logical blocks of computer instructions, which may, forinstance, be organized as an object, a procedure, or a function.Nevertheless, the executable instructions of an identified componentneed not be physically located together but may include disparateinstructions stored in different locations that, when joined logicallytogether, make up the component and achieve the stated purpose for thecomponent.

Indeed, a component of executable code may be a single instruction, ormany instructions, and may be distributed over several different codesegments, among different programs, and across several memory devices.Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustrated hereinwithin components and may be embodied in any suitable form and organizedwithin any suitable type of data structure. The operational data may becollected as a single data set or may be distributed over differentlocations including over different storage devices, and may exist, atleast partially, merely as electronic signals on a system or network.The components may be passive or active, including agents operable toperform desired functions.

Reference throughout this specification to “an example” means that afeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theexample is included in at least one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. Thus, appearances of the phrase “in an example” in variousplaces throughout this specification are not necessarily all referringto the same embodiment.

As used herein, a plurality of items, structural elements, compositionalelements, and/or materials may be presented in a common list forconvenience. However, these lists should be construed as though eachmember of the list is individually identified as a separate and uniquemember. Thus, no individual member of such list should be construed as ade facto equivalent of any other member of the same list solely based onits presentation in a common group without indications to the contrary.In addition, various embodiments and examples of the present disclosuremay be referred to herein along with alternatives for the variouscomponents thereof. It is understood that such embodiments, examples,and alternatives are not to be construed as de facto equivalents of oneanother but are to be considered as separate and autonomousrepresentations of the present disclosure.

Although the foregoing has been described in some detail for purposes ofclarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications maybe made without departing from the principles thereof. It should benoted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both theprocesses and apparatuses described herein. Accordingly, the presentembodiments are to be considered illustrative and not restrictive.

Those having skill in the art will appreciate that many changes may bemade to the details of the above-described embodiments without departingfrom the underlying principles of the disclosure. The scope of thepresent disclosure should, therefore, be determined only by the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method performed by a data platform executinginstructions on at least one hardware processor, the method comprising:receiving, from a client associated with a user account, a request topopulate a file-catalog table of the user account based on a pluralityof files stored in a file stage for the user account, the user accountbeing associated with one or more databases that collectively includeone or more tables, the file stage being represented in the user accountby file-stage object that includes an indication of a particular storagelocation of the file stage; executing, in response to receiving therequest to populate the file-catalog table, a list-files table functionwith respect to the file stage, the list-files table function beingconfigured to generate a database-table object having a row for eachfile stored in the file stage; and populating the file-catalog table ofthe user account based on the database-table object generated by thelist-files table function, the file-catalog table being an addition tothe one or more tables in the one or more databases with which the useraccount is associated.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thedatabase-table object further comprises a column for each of at leasttwo different metadata properties of the plurality of files in the filestage.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, from theclient, a stage-creation instruction requesting creation of the filestage for the user account, the stage-creation instruction comprising afile-catalog-table-creation instruction requesting creation of thefile-catalog table for the file stage; and creating, in response toreceiving the stage-creation instruction, the file stage and thefile-catalog table for the file stage.
 4. The method of claim 3, whereinthe file-catalog table comprises a built-in file-catalog table that ismanaged by the data platform.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein: thecreating of the file stage comprises creating a file-stage objectrepresenting the file stage in the user account; the file stagecomprises data storage having a particular storage location; and thefile-stage object comprises an indication of the particular storagelocation.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, fromthe client, a file-catalog-table-creation instruction requestingcreation of the file-catalog table for the file stage; and creating, inresponse to receiving the file-catalog-table-creation instruction, thefile-catalog table for the file stage.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising receiving a list-files-table-function call from the clientwith respect to the file stage, the executing of the list-files tablefunction with respect to the file stage being performed responsive toreceiving the list-files-table-function call from the client.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising receiving and executing commandsto create and share a view over the file-catalog table, the viewcomprising presigned Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) for providingaccess to files referenced in the view, the files referenced in the viewbeing less than all of the files in the file stage.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the file stage comprises an internal stage with respectto the data platform.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the file stagecomprises an external stage with respect to the data platform.
 11. Adata platform comprising: at least one hardware processor; and one ormore computer-storage media containing instructions that, when executedby the at least one hardware processor, cause the data platform toperform operations including: receiving, from a client associated with auser account, a request to populate a file-catalog table of the useraccount based on a plurality of files stored in a file stage for theuser account, the user account being associated with one or moredatabases that collectively include one or more tables, the file stagebeing represented in the user account by a file-stage object thatincludes an indication of a particular storage location of the filestage; executing, in response to receiving the request to populate thefile-catalog table, a list-files table function with respect to the filestage, the list-files table function being configured to generate adatabase-table object having a row for each file stored in the filestage; and populating the file-catalog table of the user account basedon the database-table object generated by the list-files table function,the file-catalog table being an addition to the one or more tables inthe one or more databases with which the user account is associated. 12.The data platform of claim 11, wherein the database-table object furthercomprises a column for each of at least two different metadataproperties of the plurality of files in the file stage.
 13. The dataplatform of claim 11, the operations further comprising: receiving, fromthe client, a stage-creation instruction requesting creation of the filestage for the user account, the stage-creation instruction comprising afile-catalog-table-creation instruction requesting creation of thefile-catalog table for the file stage; and creating, in response toreceiving the stage-creation instruction, the file stage and thefile-catalog table for the file stage.
 14. The data platform of claim13, wherein the file-catalog table comprises a built-in file-catalogtable that is managed by the data platform.
 15. The data platform ofclaim 13, wherein: the creating of the file stage comprises creating afile-stage object representing the file stage in the user account; thefile stage comprises data storage having a particular storage location;and the file-stage object comprises an indication of the particularstorage location.
 16. The data platform of claim 11, the operationsfurther comprising: receiving, from the client, afile-catalog-table-creation instruction requesting creation of thefile-catalog table for the file stage; and creating, in response toreceiving the file-catalog-table-creation instruction, the file-catalogtable for the file stage.
 17. The data platform of claim 11, theoperations further comprising receiving a list-files-table-function callfrom the client with respect to the file stage, the executing of thelist-files table function with respect to the file stage being performedresponsive to receiving the list-files-table-function call from theclient.
 18. The data platform of claim 11, the operations furthercomprising receiving and executing commands to create and share a viewover the file-catalog table, the view comprising presigned UniformResource Locators (URLs) for providing access to files referenced in theview, the files referenced in the view being less than all of the filesin the file stage.
 19. The data platform of claim 11, wherein the filestage comprises an internal stage with respect to the data platform. 20.The data platform of claim 11, wherein the file stage comprises anexternal stage with respect to the data platform.
 21. One or morecomputer-storage media containing instructions that, when executed by atleast one hardware processor of a data platform, cause the at least onehardware processor to perform operations including: receiving, from aclient associated with a user account, a request to populate afile-catalog table of the user account based on a plurality of filesstored in a file stage for the user account, the user account beingassociated with one or more databases that collectively include one ormore tables, the file stage being represented in the user account by afile-stage object that includes an indication of a particular storagelocation of the file stage; executing, in response to receiving therequest to populate the file-catalog table, a list-files table functionwith respect to the file stage, the list-files table function beingconfigured to generate a database-table object having a row for eachfile stored in the file stage; and populating the file-catalog table ofthe user account based on the database-table object generated by thelist-files table function, the table being an addition to the one ormore tables in the one or more databases with which the user account isassociated.
 22. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 21, theoperations further comprising: receiving, from the client, astage-creation instruction requesting creation of the file stage for theuser account, the stage-creation instruction comprising afile-catalog-table-creation instruction requesting creation of thefile-catalog table for the file stage; and creating, in response toreceiving the stage-creation instruction, the file stage and thefile-catalog table for the file stage.
 23. The one or morecomputer-storage media of claim 22, wherein the file-catalog tablecomprises a built-in file-catalog table that is managed by the dataplatform.
 24. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 22,wherein: the creating of the file stage comprises creating a file-stageobject representing the file stage in the user account; the file stagecomprises data storage having a particular storage location; and thefile-stage object comprises an indication of the particular storagelocation.
 25. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 21, theoperations further comprising receiving a list-files-table-function callfrom the client with respect to the file stage, the executing of thelist-files table function with respect to the file stage being performedresponsive to receiving the list-files-table-function call from theclient.